ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Disclosure of Information: Homicide

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2010,  Official Report, column 643W, on disclosure of information: homicide, for what reason the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has not disclosed to the family of David Gray its contacts with the German authorities in the case of Daniel Ubani; and if he will direct the CPS to do so.

Dominic Grieve: A CPS prosecutor informed Mr and Dr Gray, by letter of 2 April 2009, that steps were being taken to discover from the German authorities the events leading to Dr Ubani being dealt with under German criminal law.
	The minutes of the meeting with the German authorities cannot be disclosed because Eurojust meetings are covered by a confidentiality agreement. This is not a matter therefore in which I could consider disclosure.

SCOTLAND

Cross Border Cooperation: Tourism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps the Secretary of State is taking to enhance and increase cross-border economic co-operation between England and Scotland for tourism growth.

Michael Moore: I will be meeting the chairman of Visit Scotland in the very near future to discuss the importance of Scottish tourism, at both local and national level, and how it can lead economic growth and recovery.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Members: Childcare Vouchers

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the House of Commons Commission made of recommendation 52 of the Speaker's Conference on parliamentary representation, to allow Members to take a proportion of their salary in the form of childcare vouchers prior to the transfer of responsibility for that matter to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Stuart Bell: The Commission has made no assessment of recommendation 52 of the Speaker's Conference on parliamentary representation. It would not have been appropriate to make the proposed changes so close to the transfer of responsibility to IPSA.

Sittings

Simon Hart: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex (Mr Jenkin) of 13 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 290-91W, on sittings, how many building contracts on the Parliamentary Estate were  (a) cancelled and  (b) deferred as a result of the September sitting; what the monetary value of each contract was; and what estimate has been made of the cost to the House Service of cancellation or deferral.

Stuart Bell: No building contracts were cancelled as the reduced recess was planned for. Some projects which might have been included in the programme in a longer summer recess were not undertaken in the shorter recess, but only one, redecoration of the ceiling within the Shadow Cabinet Conference Room, is identifiable. This project was deferred but there was no cost to this deferral.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Housing: Waiting Lists

James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to reduce the number of people on council housing waiting lists.

Andrew Stunell: The Government are considering measures to support councils developing local responses to managing their housing waiting lists more effectively and in ways which best reflect local circumstances, while continuing to ensure that the priority for social housing goes to those in greatest need.
	We are also investing nearly £6.5 billion in the homes this country needs over the spending review period, with £4.5 billion to fund new affordable homes including £100 million to bring empty homes back into use as affordable housing.

Housing Benefit

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects on the number of people declared homeless of the proposed changes to housing benefit entitlement in each of the next four years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the effect on local authority costs of fulfilling their statutory obligation to provide accommodation for families who have been made homeless of a reduction in housing benefit entitlements.

Grant Shapps: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published estimates of the numbers of households that will be affected by the changes to local housing allowance rates in 2011-12. However, it is not possible to estimate the number of households that will move as a consequence of the changes.
	A copy of the document 'Impacts of Housing Benefit Proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be Introduced in 2011-12' has been placed in the Library of the House.

Housing: St Albans

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made a recent estimate of the  (a) number and  (b) monetary value of homes which could be built on undeveloped sites in St Albans which are held by registered social landlords in land banks.

Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not made a recent estimate of the number or monetary value of homes which could be built on undeveloped land in St Albans owned by registered social landlords.

Regeneration: Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of his Department's housing regeneration schemes at Orchard Park and Bransholme North in Hull North constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Department's position on and funding support for its housing and other PFI projects will be considered and confirmed as quickly as possible following the spending review 2010 settlement.
	Ministers will assess projects on a case-by-case basis for value for money and against other departmental priorities.
	Tenants have voted to transfer the Bransholme North Estate to a housing association and subject to Ministers granting consent the transfer should take place later this year.

Social Rented Housing

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the proposed social rent level based on 80% of the market level will be applied in circumstances in which a social housing tenancy is created by assignment.

Andrew Stunell: Where a social tenant assigns a social rent tenancy, for example by way of mutual exchange, the new tenant will continue to pay a social rent.

Social Rented Housing

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of payments in respect of which tenants will pay the new 80% of market level rents; how much rent income will be raised  (a) gross and  (b) net of housing benefit; and how much more rent income he expects to be raised than that raised from existing social housing rents net of housing benefit.

Grant Shapps: We will publish more detail on the new tenure shortly.

Social Rented Housing

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) estimated percentage and  (b) absolute difference between average social housing rents and the proposed rents of 80% of market level is for each (i) year of the spending review period and (ii) local authority with housing responsibilities.

Grant Shapps: We will publish more detail on the implementation of new "affordable rent" tenure shortly.

Social Rented Housing

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether social housing tenants who move to a new property will pay rent at 80% of market level.

Grant Shapps: Existing tenants of local authorities and housing associations will retain their current tenancy and rent arrangements.

Social Rented Housing

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of social tenants who will pay 80% of market rate rent and  (b) the revenue raised through such rents (i) gross and (ii) net of housing benefit; and how these figures differ from current equivalents.

Grant Shapps: Existing tenants of local authorities and housing associations paying social rents will retain their current tenancy and rent arrangements.
	We will publish more information on the new tenure shortly.

Trading Standards

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements he has made for funding of local authority trading standards officers to discharge their responsibilities in the event of an animal disease outbreak.

James Paice: I have been asked to reply.
	Funding provided to local authorities via the rate support grant includes an element for handling emergencies and therefore there is no provision within the DEFRA budget to cover such costs arising within one or more local authorities in the event of a disease outbreak.

WALES

Prisons

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the provision of prison places in north Wales.

David Jones: Both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have recently discussed the provision of prison places in north Wales with ministerial colleagues and we remain supportive of a new prison being built there.
	The Ministry of Justice is committed to publishing a Green Paper on rehabilitation and sentencing, and consulting on longer term plans for offender management. Following this the coalition Government will be in a position to evaluate our long-term strategy for prison capacity.
	We will continue to work closely with the Minister with responsibility for prisons, my hon. Friend the Member for Reigate (Mr Blunt) as decisions on the prison estate are made, to ensure that the implications for north Wales are fully taken into account.

Public Expenditure

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with the  (a) Welsh Assembly government,  (b) Welsh Local Government Association and  (c) Welsh Council for Voluntary Action on the effect of the comprehensive spending review on the block grant for Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Cheryl Gillan: I have discussed the comprehensive spending review with a range of organisations, including the First Minister and other Welsh Assembly Government Ministers. I intend to continue a programme of meetings with organisations and individuals from across Wales to discuss key issues, including the comprehensive spending review outcome.
	Over the course of the spending review period, the Welsh Assembly Government will have a 7.5% reduction in their resource budget, which is a smaller reduction than the UK average. This equates to an average cut of less than 2% each year.
	It is now for the Welsh Assembly Government to decide how to manage these reductions reflecting their own policies and priorities.

PRIME MINISTER

Domestic Visits

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Prime Minister what estimate 
	(1)  he has made of the cost to the public purse of  (a) transport,  (b) venue and accommodation,  (c) printed materials, including backdrops,  (d) security,  (e) staffing,  (f) filming and photography and  (g) other costs of each Prime Minister Direct event;
	(2)  what vetting his Office undertakes of people attending Prime Minister Direct events;
	(3)  how many  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers accompanied him on each Prime Minister Direct event.

David Cameron: Since my appointment as Prime Minister I have held a series of public meetings which provide members of the public with an opportunity to raise local, regional or national issues with me directly.
	The events have been arranged in accordance with ministerial and civil service guidelines. Costs have been minimised as far as possible. In each case these events were parts of wider visits to those areas. The audience is not selected by No. 10 and questions are chosen at random.
	The cost of these events is as follows. The cost of any security provided by the police is a matter for the relevant police force.
	
		
			   Cost (£) 
			 Leeds-29 June 2010 3,603 
			 Cornwall-9 July 2010 2,934 
			 Luton-16 July 2010 2,743 
			 Birmingham-3 August 2010 5,211 
			 Brighton-5 August 2010 3,681 
			 Manchester-10 August 2010 3,976 
		
	
	As with all visits I was accompanied by a small number of officials and special advisers as necessary.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Brazil: Fossil Fuels

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with the government of Brazil on fossil fuel subsidy reform.

Henry Bellingham: The issue of fossil fuel subsidy reform was discussed with the Government of Brazil during the G20 in Toronto in June.

Conflict Pool

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what contribution his Department plans to make to the Conflict Pool in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15;
	(2)  how much his Department plans to spend on conflict prevention in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

William Hague: holding answer 26 October 2010
	Funding for the tri-departmental Conflict Pool has been provided through the spending round separately from departmental expenditure limits. We expect to announce detailed allocations for Conflict Pool activity for 2011-12 in coming weeks. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not contributed additional funds to the Conflict Pool in 2010-11.
	Funding for the Peacekeeping Budget and the Conflict Pool is provided for separately by the Treasury and does not come from departmental expenditure limits. As a result, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not usually contribute additional funds from its own departmental budget and has not done so in 2010-11.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department plans to allocate to  (a) the Stabilisation Aid Fund,  (b) the Conflict Prevention Pool,  (c) the Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund,  (d) the BBC World Service, excluding the BBC World Service Trust,  (e) the BBC World Service Trust,  (f) the Special Reserve,  (g) the British Council and  (h) the Security and Intelligence Fund for (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not yet set budgets for 2011-12 or beyond. Detailed allocations will be agreed during the coming weeks.
	 (a), (b), (c): On 1 April 2009 the Conflict Prevention Pool and the Stabilisation Aid Fund were merged to form the Conflict Pool, which is managed tri-departmentally by the Department for International Development (DFID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). At the same time, responsibility for discretionary peacekeeping costs also moved to the Conflict Pool.
	Funding for the Conflict Pool has been provided through the spending round separately from departmental expenditure limits (DELs). The FCO has not contributed additional funds to the Conflict Pool in 2010-11. Priorities and allocations for 2011-12 will be determined in the coming weeks. We will continue to seek to maintain a range of activities in priority regions where the risk and impact of conflict is greatest.
	 (d) (g) Updated information on the 2010-11 budget allocations for the British Council and the BBC World Service will be published in the Winter Supplementary Estimates.
	For the period 2011-15, the budget allocations (resource and capital funding) are as follows. From 2014-15, the BBC will fund the World Service from the licence fee.
	
		
			  £ million (nominal, excluding depreciation) 
			   2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 BBC World Service 253 242 238 0 
			 British Council 180 171 162 154 
		
	
	 (e) The BBC World Service Trust is an independent charity funded by external grants and voluntary contributions. The FCO makes no specific allocation to it each year but may fund individual projects on an ad-hoc basis.
	 (f) The FCO makes no allocations to the 'Special Reserve' which is part of the Treasury Reserve.
	 (h) The FCO makes no allocation to the Single Intelligence Account.

European Union

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) his European counterparts,  (b) the European Commission and  (c) others on the cost and number of European Union public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained, at Prime Minister questions on 27 October 2010,  Official Report, column 309:
	'The greatest priority for Britain should be to fight very hard to get the EU budget under control. It is completely unacceptable, at a time when we are making tough budget decisions here, that we are seeing spending rise consistently in the European Union. I think that is wrong and I shall be doing everything I can to try to sort out the budget for next year, and also to look at the future financing of the European Union, where we want to see strict controls.'
	I raised these points most recently with my European counterparts during the General and Foreign Affairs Councils (GAC/FAC) on 25 October 2010 and will continue to do so at every opportunity.
	The EU Commission is also already working on an Inter-Institutional review of European Agencies which will focus on ways to encourage efficiency, transparency and value for money in their day-to-day functioning. We are closely involved in the consultation process of this review.

Gibraltar: Spain

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take to stop people crossing the border from Gibraltar to Spain being charged a toll by the La Linea authorities.

David Lidington: We have raised our concerns over the Mayor of La Linea's earlier proposed actions to impose a charge on traffic entering/leaving Gibraltar with the Spanish Government. It is for them to resolve this issue. Our priority is to keep the traffic flowing at the border. We believe that the Spanish Government shares this goal. They have made clear that EU and Spanish law will be fully respected and that they do not consider that the Mayor of La Linea's earlier proposed actions would be legal. We continue to keep in close touch with the Government of Gibraltar and to follow developments in La Linea.

Human Rights: Kosovo

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the opinion given by the International Court of Justice on Kosovo.

David Lidington: The UK Government welcome the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) Advisory Opinion confirming that Kosovo's Declaration of Independence did not violate international law. The legal process before the ICJ has come to its end. This should mean an end to debate about Kosovo's status. The UK Government remain firm in their conviction that Kosovo's status as a sovereign state, with its territory defined by its existing borders, is a positive force for stability in the western Balkans. The UK Government also welcome the consensus shown in the UN General Assembly in adopting, on 9 September, a resolution on the ICJ Opinion. The resolution acknowledged the content of the Opinion and welcomed the readiness of the European Union (EU) to facilitate a dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade to promote co-operation, achieve progress on the path towards the EU and improve the lives of the people.
	The Government strongly support preparations for this dialogue, which will open a new phase in the relationship between Kosovo and Serbia as both move towards EU membership.

Gyumri Military Base

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) counterparts the implications for the Russian Federation's role as co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group of the extension of the Russian Federation's lease on the Gyumri military base.

David Lidington: The UK and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe partners continue to support the work of the Minsk Group Co-chairs-Russia, France and the US-in pursuing a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia, in its role as co-chair, hosted a summit between President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President Sargsyan of Armenia on 27 October to help maintain dialogue between the two countries. There has been long-standing military co-operation between Armenia and the Russian Federation and the most recent agreement on the extension of the lease on Gyumri military base reflects that.

Security: EU

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) counterparts the  (a) role of the EU and  (b) composition of the OSCE Minsk Group.

David Lidington: I have had and will continue to have regular dialogue with a range of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) partners about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the work of the Minsk Group. The composition of the group has not featured in those contacts and there has been no suggestion that it needs to be changed.
	Like other OSCE partners, the UK continues to support the Minsk Group and its co-Chairs and encourages all parties to the conflict to work towards a lasting solution based on the principles of: refraining from the threat or use of force; territorial integrity; and people's right to self-determination. During my visit to Azerbaijan on 20-21 October, and in recent phone conversations with Armenian Foreign Minister Nalbandian, I explored the possibility of increased UK and EU activity to help support the peace process.

Transcaucasus: Diplomatic Service

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people were employed by his Department's diplomatic mission in  (a) Armenia,  (b) Azerbaijan and  (c) Georgia on the latest date for which figures are available.

David Lidington: At 1 October 2010 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office employed approximately  (a) 20 staff at the British embassy in Yerevan, Armenia;  (b) 40 staff at the British embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan;  (c) 50 staff at the British embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia. These figures include UK-based civil servants and staff engaged locally and have been rounded for operational and security reasons.

Turkey: Arrests

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the government of Turkey on arrests of journalists.

David Lidington: Our embassy in Ankara regularly raises issues relating to freedom of expression-including the arrests of journalists-in the context of wider discussions on human rights with its Turkish counterparts. Freedom of expression remains a key area for reform in Turkey, and we expect the next EU Progress Report, due to be published on 10 November 2010, to address this issue again.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Criminal Records Bureau

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the inclusion of harassment warnings in Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) operates under part V of the Police Act 1997 (the 'Act'). The Act places a duty on the CRB (as the Secretary of State) to include details of all convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings that are recorded on the police national computer (PNC) on a certificate. The CRB will not routinely include harassment warnings on a CRB certificate unless it forms part of a disposal of a conviction/caution that is recorded on the PNC.

Immigration Controls: France

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future of juxtaposed border controls in France; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: There are no plans to change our juxtaposed controls in northern Europe. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and myself have both met with our French counterparts to discuss migration issues, including the juxtaposed controls and wider bilateral co-operation, and it is expected that agreement will soon be reached on the next phase of UK-France collaboration at the border controls in northern Europe.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 8 September 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mr O. Uillah.

Damian Green: I apologise for the delay in replying to the letter of 8 September 2010. A reply should be provided to the right hon. Member within the next 10 days.

Police: Crime Prevention

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the relationship between the number of front-line police officers and levels of crime in neighbourhoods.

Nick Herbert: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary recently reported that on average only 11% of forces' police manpower is visibly available to the public at any one time. What matters is how officers are deployed. Our aim is to reduce costs and bureaucracy to ensure that resources can be directed to the front line.

UK Border Agency

Phil Woolas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the UK Border Agency juxtaposed border controls in France in 2010-11.

Damian Green: The cost of the juxtaposed border controls including northern France ports and Paris in 2010-11 is £50.8 million.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the performance of local authorities in the delivery of the Carbon Emission Reduction Target scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) is an obligation placed on large energy suppliers to reduce carbon emissions from households in Great Britain and does not require local government to meet any specific function or target. Most obligated CERT suppliers do form partnerships with local authorities, social housing providers and others in helping deliver their schemes, capitalising on local knowledge, trusted brands and in some instances additional funding.
	We are currently conducting an evaluation of the CERT scheme, which will gather evidence on the range and effectiveness of the delivery routes adopted by suppliers in delivering their CERT obligation.

Departmental Publications

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the recommendations relevant to his Department's policy responsibilities contained in the Government Office for Science's Foresight report on Mental Capacity and Well-being; if he will ensure that his Department take steps to promote well-being; if he will ensure that his Department's policy development process takes account of psychological research into subjective well-being; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: In developing household energy efficiency and fuel poverty polices Government take account of the need to promote well being among vulnerable householders to ensure that they are able to benefit from the policies.

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what role he expects local authorities to play in the roll-out of the Green Deal; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal will provide the opportunity for all householders to take action to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and communities. We envisage that local authorities may want to play different roles in terms of the Green Deal, whether as Green Deal providers in their own right, or in forming partnerships with companies active in their areas. We are currently considering proposals from the Local Government Group around the contribution local government can make to the Green Deal.

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with  (a) the Local Government Association,  (b) local authorities and  (c) the Department for Communities and Local Government on the role of local authorities in the rolling out of the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: My ministerial colleagues and I have discussed the Green Deal with the Local Government Association (LGA), local authorities and DCLG.
	The Local Government Group (of which the LGA forms a part) has set out specific proposals from the local government side on how it might play a role in delivering the Green Deal. We will be discussing these proposals further in the coming months.

Fuel Poverty

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Government are totally committed to helping those households that are in fuel poverty. We remain committed to doing all that is reasonably practicable to eradicate fuel poverty in all households in England by 2016.
	The Government are permanently increasing cold weather payments to £25 to help around 4.2 million elderly and disabled households on low-incomes during periods of cold weather. The winter fuel payment remains unchanged.
	We have recently extended the carbon emissions reduction target, introducing a greater focus on targeting energy efficiency measures at the most vulnerable households by introducing a Super Priority Group.
	We intend to introduce mandated Social Price Support in April 2011, to replace the existing Voluntary Agreement with energy suppliers in order to provide direct energy bill support to a large number of vulnerable households.
	Funding for the Warm Front scheme was announced in the spending review through to 2012-13. Going forward, the Green Deal is a key element of our policy to improve household energy efficiency. It will help protect people against price rises through greater energy saving, with special support for the most vulnerable. The new Energy Company Obligation will provide additional funding for the vulnerable and those in hard to treat homes who may need additional support.

Fuel Poverty

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will use his powers under the Energy Act 2010 to bring forward mandatory social price support.

Gregory Barker: Energy suppliers will be required from April 2011 to provide greater help with the financial costs of energy bills to more of the most vulnerable fuel poor households, through Social Price Support-with total support of £250 million in 2011-12 rising to £310 million in 2014-15.
	Government will implement Social Price Support by using the enabling powers in the Energy Act 2010 to make regulations requiring energy suppliers to participate in the Social Price Support scheme.

Fuel Poverty

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of households living in fuel poverty in  (a) North West Durham constituency,  (b) the North East and  (c) the UK.

Gregory Barker: In 2006, the most recent year for which sub-regional figures are available, there were around 6,900 fuel-poor households in the North West Durham constituency.
	In 2008, there were 236,000 fuel-poor households in the north east and 4.5 million fuel-poor households in the UK.

Renewable Energy

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department plans to equalise the rate of return on solar thermal energy with the rate of return on other renewable energy sources within the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Gregory Barker: As announced on 20 October 2010, as part of the spending review, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will go ahead in 2011. As part of the spending review process we have looked again at the RHI to target the scheme more effectively. We have more work to do to determine support levels. We expect to be in a position to announce the details of the scheme, including RHI tariffs and technologies supported, before the end of this year, and be open for business from June 2011.

Renewable Technology

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the cost to his Department in 2011-12 of increasing feed-in tariff payments offered to individuals who installed renewable technology before 15 July 2009 to the rate available to those who did so after that date.

Charles Hendry: The primary objective of the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme is to incentivise additional small-scale, low carbon electricity generation. Extending FITs to sub-50kW installations made before 15 July 2009 could not deliver this objective.
	Extending FITs to existing installations would increase the costs of the scheme, without the corresponding benefit of new installations. We do not think that this represents value for money, particularly in the current economic climate, and cannot therefore justify the additional cost to consumers, who ultimately pay for the scheme. Additionally, it would set a precedent for other incentive schemes such as the renewable heat incentive. Therefore, after careful consideration, we decided that the scheme as it relates to early adopters should remain unchanged.
	The Department estimated that allowing all(1) such existing generators to claim FITs at full rate, without repaying grants would represent a discounted cost in the order of £5.8 million(2) for the period 2011-12. In addition to these costs there would be additional administrative costs to DECC, Ofgem and suppliers. In practice, these administrative costs would have increased, had such a policy also included a requirement to repay some or all of any grant.
	(1) These figures are based on estimated numbers of sub-50kW installations prior to 15 July 2009 that received grants from the following programmes: Clear Skies, LCBP1, LCBP2 and the Major PV Demo Programme.
	(2) Costs are presented in 2009 prices, discounted.
	 Notes:
	1. Costs are net FITs subsidy costs, i.e. net of the value of exports to suppliers.
	2. Admin costs of administering a higher number of FIT installations have not been included here.
	3. Costs assume that existing generators would be paid FITs for the full installation lifetime.
	4. Cost estimations should be caveated, as we do not know the precise number of existing generators and which technologies/scales they have invested in.

Tidal Power

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to assess the merits of establishing further tidal energy projects.

Gregory Barker: The coalition agreement states that the Government
	"will introduce measures to encourage marine energy",
	underlining our commitment to building a successful wave and tidal energy sector in the UK as part of a diverse energy mix. In our "Annual Energy Statement" to Parliament we stated that,
	"The Government will support the development of marine energy in the UK by providing opportunity for deployment of marine energy devices alongside onshore infrastructure such as grid, industry and supply chain development, economic regeneration, skills and academic excellence."
	Given the UK's rich tidal energy resource and expertise in this emerging sector we consider that tidal energy is likely to form a significant part of this deployment.

Wards in Gateshead

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2010,  Official Report, column 923W, what the equivalent figures are for those wards in Gateshead constituency which were formerly part of the Tyne Bridge constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: Equivalent fuel poverty data are not available at ward level for 2006.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Asbestos

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers local authorities have to  (a) identify,  (b) assess,  (c) manage and  (d) dispose of asbestos sheeting on land where the ownership is unknown or in dispute; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Local authorities have powers under section 59 (7) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to remove any controlled waste which has been deposited without authorisation in order to prevent pollution or harm to human health, including from land which has no occupier.

Bees

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many beekeepers have alerted the National Bee Unit to bee health problems in each of the last five years.

James Paice: The number of inspections in each of the last five years carried out by the Food and Environment Research Agency's National Bee Unit's Bee Inspectors as a result of being contacted by beekeepers are set out in the table. As the number of beekeepers is increasing, and they are becoming more aware of disease risks, we would expect the number of contacts to rise.
	
		
			   Inspections 
			 2006 611 
			 2007 985 
			 2008 1,095 
			 2009 1,429 
			 2010 (1)1,341 
			 (1) Partial year

Common Agricultural Policy

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what priorities she has set for her negotiations in the Council of Ministers on the proposed reform of the Common Agricultural Policy; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The UK is committed to ambitious reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) that delivers good value for farmers, taxpayers, consumers and the environment. A future CAP must enable a sustainable, thriving and competitive EU agriculture and food sector that is able to rise to the challenges and opportunities of the future. Negotiations on CAP will take place in the context of a Communication which we expect to be published by the Commission in November.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in her Department have been  (a) subject to disciplinary action,  (b) removed from post,  (c) transferred to another position and  (d) dismissed for matters relating to their (i) disciplinary record and (ii) performance in each year since 1997.

Richard Benyon: The tables show the number of staff subject to disciplinary and performance action in each of the last six years. Data prior to 2005-06 are not easily available and to obtain this information would be at a disproportionate cost.
	The tables show the number of staff subject to disciplinary or performance action and whether they were transferred or dismissed as a result of these actions. If staff are removed from post then this would result in either their transfer or dismissal and these data are therefore included in those categories.
	The following information is provided for Core DEFRA and its Executive Agencies:
	
		
			  Table 1: Disciplinary action 
			   Number of staff subject to disciplinary action  Transferred to another post( 1)  Dismissed 
			 2010-11 25 1 3 
			 2009-10 69 1 6 
			 2008-09 58 4 5 
			 2007-08 43 2 12 
			 2006-07 50 0 20 
			 2005-06 34 1 11 
			 (1) Includes DEFRA and its Agencies except Rural Payments Agency (RPA) who could provide the data only at disproportionate cost. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Performance action 
			   Number of staff subject to performance action  Transferred to another post( 1)  Dismissed 
			 2010-11 13 3 2 
			 2009-10 33 1 5 
			 2008-09 35 7 5 
			 2007-08 38 2 9 
			 2006-07 30 1 10 
			 2005-06 22 1 9 
			 (1) Includes DEFRA and its Agencies except RPA who could provide the data only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Publications

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of recommendations relevant to her Department's policy responsibilities contained in the Government Office for Science's Foresight report on Mental Capacity and Well-being; if she will ensure that her Department takes steps to promote well-being; if she will ensure that her Department's policy development process takes account of psychological research into subjective well-being; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: My Department has played a leading role in developing our understanding of the relationship between departmental policies and well-being and has noted the policy recommendations made in the Government Office for Science's Foresight report on Mental Capacity and Well-being.
	Departmental statisticians and social researchers have developed and produced well-being indicators and analyses over the last five years as part of the national set of sustainable development indicators. They are now working closely with the Office for National Statistics and Cabinet Office, who are developing measures of societal well-being.
	Economists and social researchers from DEFRA are taking a lead role in the cross-government Social Impacts Task Force (co-chaired by DEFRA's chief economist). The taskforce's remit includes the development of guidance to help Departments assess social impacts of government policies; and highlighting the importance of social impacts and well-being indicators in cost benefit analysis and impact assessment of policies.

Environment Agency: Apprentices

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many apprentices were in post at the Environment Agency on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many such apprentices recruited in the last 12 months  (a) were previously apprentices,  (b) had been long-term unemployed and  (c) are graduates.

Richard Benyon: There is one apprentice in post at the Environment Agency as of 26 October 2010. This four-year apprenticeship is due to end shortly.
	The Environment Agency recruited one other apprentice in the last 12 months. The individual has now left the organisation without completing the apprenticeship. They were not a previous apprentice, long-term unemployed or a graduate.

Fisheries

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total mackerel catch was in respect of  (a) UK and  (b) Northern Ireland fisheries in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The total mackerel catch made by UK and Northern Ireland vessels in the years 2005 to 2009 (the last year for which final official statistics are available) is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Catch (tonnes live weight) 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 United Kingdom 155,443 103,050 133,904 128,246 172,304 
			  Of which :  
			 Northern Ireland 9,068 9,380 11,004 6,038 3,341

Fisheries

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the contribution of the mackerel catch to the fishing industry.

Richard Benyon: Mackerel is currently the most valuable species in terms of catches to the UK fishing industry. According to official statistics for 2009 (the latest year for which final official statistics are available), UK vessels landed some 172,300 tonnes of mackerel with a value of £153 million. This compares to total landings by UK vessels of all species in 2009 of 580,600 tonnes with a value of £674 million.

Fisheries

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had at EU level on the mackerel quota claimed by Greenland.

Richard Benyon: Recent talks on the management of the North-East Atlantic mackerel stock have not included Greenland. The negotiations have been between the EU, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Iceland as the coastal states, and the Russian Federation has attended as an observer. We are not aware of any claim by Greenland on the North-East Atlantic mackerel stock.

Flood Control

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to implement the proposed savings of 15% in her Department's flood defences procurement strategy.

Richard Benyon: In real terms, 15% efficiency savings in flood and coastal risk management procurement is equivalent to delivering an average of 2% more in terms of outcomes, each and every year, between now and 2015. The Environment Agency is developing a new procurement strategy which will set out how these savings will be achieved. The Environment Agency's main contractual frameworks are due for renewal, and these present an opportunity to commission segments of capital and asset maintenance work to clearly defined service levels and outcomes.

Foxes

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on control of urban foxes by local authorities in residential areas.

Richard Benyon: Neither I nor the Secretary of State have had any recent discussions with ministerial colleagues on control of urban foxes by local authorities in residential areas.

National England Office

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in each Natural England office are designated as  (a) managers and  (b) field workers.

Richard Benyon: Natural England does not designate two categories of its staff, but currently has 304 managers and 2,296 other staff across its offices and other sites.

Nature Conservation: Convictions

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were  (a) proceeded against and  (b) convicted of an offence under the provisions of the (i) Badgers Act 1991, (ii) Deer Act 1991, (iii) Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996 and (iv) Hunting Act 2004 in 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The latest figures for the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the provisions of the (i) Badgers Act 1991, (ii) Deer Act 1991, (iii) Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996 and (iv) Hunting Act 2004 in England and Wales in 2009 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Badgers Act 1991, the Deer Act 1991, the Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996 and the Hunting Act 2004 in England and Wales in 2009( 1,2) 
			  Statute  Offence description  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			 Protection of Badgers Act 1992 (except Sec. 13) Offences of cruelty to badgers and special protection for badgers and their setts. 44 26 
			 Protection of Badgers Act 1992 Sec. 13 Failing to give up a dog for destruction or having custody of a dog while disqualified 6 4 
			 Deer Act 1991 Killing or injuring deer by shooting, trap, snares etc. 3 2 
			 Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 Offences under this Act 8 5 
			 Hunting Act 2004 Offences under this Act 90 57 
			 Total  151 94 
			 (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that this data has been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when the data is used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

Public Expenditure

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what occasions she attended the Public Expenditure Committee to discuss the 2010 Spending Review.

Richard Benyon: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Rural Development Programmes

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which body will determine applications for funding for rural development programmes between 2010 and 2013; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The bodies which currently manage delivery of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) will continue to do so for the remainder of the programme period, until the end of 2013, with the exception of the regional development agencies (RDAs), which will be abolished by March 2012.
	The Government are working to ensure a smooth transition to new delivery arrangements for the socio-economic elements of RDPE. We expect to be able to provide details shortly.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Apprentices

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many apprentices were in post at  (a) Arts Council England and  (b) Sport England on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many such apprentices recruited in the last 12 months (i) were previously apprentices, (ii) had been long-term unemployed and (iii) are graduates.

John Penrose: The Department does not collate this information.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of both bodies to respond directly to the hon. Member for North East Cambridgeshire (Stephen Barclay).
	Copies of the responses will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Betting

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the maximum stake for a category B2 fixed odds betting terminal; and whether he plans to review that maximum level.

John Penrose: I have received no recent representations about the maximum stake for category B2 fixed odds betting terminals.
	There are no plans at present to review the maximum level.

Betting: Licensing

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 14 October 2010,  Official Report, column 27WS, on public bodies reform, how many staff or full-time equivalents will monitor the licensing of betting shops in the proposed body to be created by merging the National Lottery Commission and the Gambling Commission.

John Penrose: Local licensing authorities, rather than the Gambling Commission, have responsibility for licensing and monitoring betting premises under the Gambling Act 2005.

Broadband

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the Spending Review 2010, Cm 7942, what estimate he has made of the number of households in  (a) Wales,  (b) Scotland,  (c) England and  (d) Northern Ireland who will obtain access to broadband services as a result of the Government's proposed expenditure on the broadband network.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	in my capacity as a Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Government are committed to ensuring the UK has the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015, including the delivery of superfast broadband to rural and remote areas at the same time as in more populated areas. Households in Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland will all benefit from the Government's support for superfast broadband investment; the exact number has yet to be determined.

Capital Investment: Greater London and North West

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his Department's capital expenditure per head was in  (a) London and  (b) the North West in each of the last five years.

John Penrose: Most of the Department's capital funds are distributed via its arm's length bodies. A summary of the countywide analysis of capital spend for the entire sector can be found in the Departmental Resource Accounts (HC 222, 22 July 2010). Data for 2008-09 is the latest available.
	The Department(1) itself incurs a small amount of capital expenditure on both its own administration (e.g. IT systems, office accommodation) and on a limited number of directly funded programmes such as the listed places of worship scheme, free swimming (which commenced in 2008-09) and the Department's contribution to Wolfson Grants, which are summarised in the table. The expenditure per head uses Office of National Statistics mid-year population estimates.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 2)  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Total DCMS capital spend (including that via arm's length bodies) 157,158,000 188,581,000 325,240,000 624,203,000 905,446,000 
			  O f which:  
			  DCMS( 1)  capital spend  
			 London 5,584,650.00 8,542,789.50 13,794,500.00 6,273,500.00 6,447,175.00 
			 North West 898,500.00 1,347,390.50 235,000.00 200,000.00 1,860,176.00 
			   
			  Spend per head  
			 London 0.75 1.14 1.83 0.83 0.85 
			 North West 0.13 0.20 0.03 0.03 0.27 
			 (1) Includes the Royal Parks and the Government Art Collection.  (2) These figures include early allocations following the successful Olympic bid.

Capital Investment: Greater London and North West

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much and what proportion of his Department's capital expenditure was allocated to  (a) London and  (b) the North West in each of the last five financial years.

John Penrose: Most of the Department's capital funds are distributed via its arm's length bodies. A summary of the countywide analysis of capital spend for the entire sector can be found in the departmental resource accounts (HC 222, 22 July 2010). Data for 2008-09 are the latest available.
	The Department(1) itself incurs a small amount of capital expenditure on both its own administration (eg IT systems, office accommodation) and on a limited number of directly funded programmes such as the Listed Places of Worship scheme, Free Swimming (2008-09) and the Department's contribution to Wolfson grants, which are summarised in the table.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 2)  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Total DCMS capital spend(3) (£) 157,158,000 188,581,000 325,240,000 624,203,000 905,446,000 
			  Of which:  
			 London (£) 5,584,650 8,542,790 13,794,500 6,273,500 6,447,175 
			   
			  DCMS( 1)  capital spend  
			 North West (£) 898,500 1,347,391 235,000 200,000 1,860,176 
			   
			  Proportion of spend  
			 London (percentage) 36 46 90 82 41 
			 North West (percentage) 6 7 2 3 12 
			 (1) Includes the Royal Parks and the Government art collection. (2) These figures include early allocations following the successful Olympic bid. (3) Including that via arm's length bodies

Departmental Contracts

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of quality management statements in assisting with contract decisions by his Department; and what assessment he has made of the effects on the prospects for small businesses of winning contracts of such statements.

John Penrose: When conducting procurement exercises the Department will normally make some assessment of quality management statements in the selection of suppliers as suitable bidders. However, this assessment would only form a small part of the overall assessment as, in our opinion, quality management statements do not impact on the likely success of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) winning business. On average over the last three years approximately 30% of the Department's business has gone to SMEs.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the BBC Trust on the effect on the BBC of the proposed change to its funding under the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Edward Vaizey: The BBC Trust has been fully and productively engaged in discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on all changes to BBC funding proposed under the licence fee settlement.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on overseas visits for senior officials in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

John Penrose: All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Department's travel and subsistence guidance and is consistent with the Civil Service Management Code.
	Overseas travel and subsistence below ministerial level is not recorded by grade. To disaggregate overseas expenditure by grade would incur disproportionate costs as this information is not held on our accounting system.
	The Department does publish details of expenses and hospitality of senior officials and above on our website:
	http://www.transparency.culture.gov.uk/category/financial/
	which will include details of individual travel costs, under "Business Costs".
	The table shows total overseas T and S expenditure by officials for the financial year 2009-10 irrespective of grade.
	
		
			  Category  £ 
			  Officials travelling overseas  
			 2009-10 109,764.73 
			   
			  Officials accompanying Ministers  
			 2009-10 36,953.15 
			   
			 Total 2009-10 146,717.88

Gambling: Internet

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) occasional and  (b) frequent or habitual online gamblers in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what definition of  (a) occasional and  (b) habitual gambling his Department uses.

John Penrose: This Department and the Gambling Commission do not use the terms "Frequent" or "habitual" to describe the gambling habits of individuals and do not record the information requested on that basis.
	The British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007, commissioned by the Gambling Commission, was undertaken better to understand the nature and scale of gambling in Great Britain. Data on trends of online gambling can therefore be found in the survey on the Gambling Commission's website at:
	http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/Britsh %20Gambling%20Prevalence%20Survey%202007%20-%20Sept%202007.pdf
	The third nationally representative survey of participation in gambling and the prevalence of problem gambling in Great Britain will be published in February 2011.

Gambling: Internet

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many new licences have been granted in the last five years for  (a) non-remote general betting (standard),  (b) non-remote general betting (limited),  (c) non-remote betting intermediary,  (d) non-remote pool betting,  (e) remote general betting (standard),  (f) remote betting (limited),  (g) remote betting intermediary,  (h) remote betting intermediary (trading rooms) and  (i) remote betting pools;
	(2)  how many online gambling sites are based in the UK;
	(3)  how many online gambling sites are based in  (a) white-listed countries and  (b) countries listed in the Gambling Act 2005 which advertise in the UK.

John Penrose: The Department does not collate this information.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of the Gambling Commission to write to the hon. Member for Hampshire East (Damian Hinds).
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

National Lottery etc. Act 1993

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what criteria are applied to determine the level and nature of payments made by the Secretary of State under Section 31 of the National Lottery etc. Act 1993.

John Penrose: The Secretary of State, with approval of the Treasury, makes payments under section 31 of the National Lottery etc. Act 1993 ("the Act") for defraying certain expenses:
	(i) those incurred or to be incurred by him in exercising his functions;
	(ii) those expenses incurred by the NLC; and
	(iii) those incurred or to be incurred by the National Debt Commissioners in making investments under section 32 of the 1993 Act.
	Therefore the criteria that apply for meeting expenses under section 31 are whether the expense can be properly attributable to the exercise of functions as set out in section 32 of the 1993 Act.

S4C: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on what date his Department informed the  (a) Welsh Assembly government,  (b) Welsh Assembly Minister for Heritage,  (c) board of S4C,  (d) Secretary of State for Wales and  (e) BBC of his decision about the future of S4C.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 27 October 2010
	The Secretary of State or officials informed all the parties listed in the days leading up to, or at the time of, the spending review and licence fee settlement announcements.

Television: Licensing

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will revise television licensing guidelines to allow women's refuges and shelters to hold one television licence per establishment.

Edward Vaizey: The Government have no plans to extend the special licence for hotels and hospitality areas to include women's refuges. There are many different vulnerable groups living in temporary accommodation and it would be difficult to justify providing concessions for one of these groups but not for any of the others.

Tourism: Cumbria

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of tourists who visited Cumbria in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009; and what estimate he has made of the average expenditure per head by tourists visiting Cumbria in each such year.

John Penrose: The number of holiday visits to Cumbria and total spend by visitors from outside the United Kingdom for 2008 and 2009 are as set out in the table:
	
		
			   Purpose  2008  2009 
			 Visits (Thousand) Holiday 114 85 
			 Spend  (£ million) Holiday 34 24 
			  Source:  VisitBritain 
		
	
	The number of holiday visits taken in Cumbria by United Kingdom residents and total spend for the years 2006 to 2009 are as set out in the table:
	
		
			   2006-09 
			 Domestic visits (Thousand) 3,671 
			 Domestic spend (£ million) 718 
			  Source:  The United Kingdom Tourism Survey

CABINET OFFICE

Charity Commission: Apprentices

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many apprentices were in post at the Charity Commission on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many such apprentices recruited in the last 12 months  (a) were previously apprentices,  (b) had been long-term unemployed and  (c) are graduates.

Nick Hurd: This is a matter for the Charity Commission. I have, therefore, asked the chief executive of the commission to reply.
	 Letter from Sam Younger CBE:
	As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on how many apprentices were in post at the Charity Commission on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many such apprentices recruited in the last 12 months (a) were previously apprentices, (b) had been long-term unemployed and (c) are graduates.
	The Charity Commission does not employ any apprentices.
	I hope this is helpful.

Charity Commission: Finance

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will take steps to ensure proposed reductions in his Department's budget do not adversely affect the Charity Commission's ability to  (a) regulate,  (b) investigate allegations of fraud,  (c) investigate allegations of diverting funds to international terrorist organisations and  (d) enforce existing law in the charitable sector.

Nick Hurd: The Charity Commission is an independent non-ministerial Government Department and as such negotiates its own financial settlement direct with HM Treasury. Any reductions in the Cabinet Office budget therefore have no bearing on the commission's ability to carry out its statutory duties.

Public Expenditure

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review on the Charity Commission's ability to discharge its statutory duties to  (a) regulate and  (b) support the charitable sector.

Nick Hurd: As a non-ministerial department, the Charity Commission negotiates its spending review settlement direct with HM Treasury. I have, therefore, asked the chief executive of the commission to reply.
	 Letter from Sam Younger, dated 25 October 2010:
	As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question on what assessment has been made of the effect of the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review on the Charity Commission's ability to discharge its statutory duties to (a) regulate and (b) support the charitable sector (19691).
	As an independent non-Ministerial Department, the Charity Commission negotiates its Spending Review Settlement directly with HM Treasury. The Charity Commission's settlement amounts to a 33% reduction in its budget in real terms by 2015.
	In order to make these savings, the Commission will need to make significant changes to the way in which it engages with charities and the public, the services it offers, and the scope and shape of its regulatory activity. This will not be easy but the Commission is determined to continue to develop as an innovative, confident and flexible modern regulator within the resources Treasury has made available.
	The Commission will manage these changes by:
	(i) beginning a comprehensive review of its strategy and operating principles, to agree the key priorities for the Commission's work over the next four years and beyond; and
	(ii) continuing to reduce the costs of regulation, for example moving more of its services to charities online, and further reducing its back office administration costs.
	The Commission anticipates that it will have to reduce staff numbers by about 140 full-time posts as a result of this settlement. Final decisions on the necessary restructuring of the Commission will follow its strategic review, which is intended to conclude in April 2011.
	The Commission will begin a public consultation on its strategic review in the next few days, seeking views from a range of stakeholders within and beyond the charity sector. A review of the Charities Act 2006, which sets the Commission's statutory objectives, functions and duties, is expected in 2011 and this will provide an opportunity to review the legislative framework.

HEALTH

Care Homes: Fees

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which local authorities have reclaimed money from people for deliberately depriving themselves of assets to avoid paying care home fees under the provisions of the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992 in each year since 2000-01;
	(2)  how many people have repaid money to their local authority under the provisions of the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992 in each year since 2000-01.

Paul Burstow: The Department does not collect information about how many local authorities have made use of these provisions, or how many people have had to pay money to a local authority because of the use of these provisions. While the Department issues regulations and guidance on charging, the responsibility for assessing how much an individual can afford to pay for residential care rests with the local authority arranging the care.

Dental Services

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will have responsibility for commissioning dental care in  (a) care homes and  (b) prisons under the proposals in his Department's White Paper on Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS.

Simon Burns: Under the proposals set out in the White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS", the NHS Commissioning Board would, subject to the outcome of consultation, be responsible for commissioning primary care dental services. Further details will be available at the introduction of the Health Bill into Parliament, which will follow later this year.

Dental Services

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS dental care will become part of the medical model, as recommended by Lord Darzi.

Simon Burns: Building on Lord Darzi's work, the Government intend to establish improvement in quality and health care outcomes as the primary purpose of all national health service-funded care. This includes dentistry.
	Under the proposals set out in the White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', following consultation and piloting, a new dentistry contract would be introduced, with a focus on improving quality, achieving good dental health and increasing access to NHS dentistry, and an additional focus on the oral health of schoolchildren.
	Lord Darzi specifically recommended that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) should regulate safety and quality for dental as well as general practitioner (GP) practices. The Government support this and the CQC is in the process of establishing the regulatory arrangements, first for dental and then for GP practices.

Dental Services

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for future levels of funding for NHS dentistry  (a) nationally and  (b) in areas where there is under-provision of NHS dental services; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Primary care trust (PCT) funding allocations for primary dental care services will be announced in December 2010. The Government's White Paper "Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS", published on 12 July 2010, proposes that in future the responsibility for apportioning funding to, and the commissioning of, dental services will be a matter for an independent and accountable NHS Commissioning Board.

Departmental Computer Software

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications for the Apple iPhone his Department has commissioned each company to create; and at what cost to the public purse those applications were created.

Simon Burns: The Department, through NHS Choices, has commissioned three iPhone applications.
	The first is a package of alcohol tools, including an iPhone application. The tools help individuals calculate the alcohol units in drinks, keeps a drinks diary and provides tailored messages about levels of drinking in order to support behavioural change. The package was launched on 1 December 2009. The iPhone application cost £10,000.
	The second is the NHS 'Quit Smoking' application, which provides hints and tips to manage cravings, keeps a running tally on how much money quitters have saved since they stopped smoking, tracks the number of days, hours and minutes since quitting and includes a direct link to the stop smoking helpline. The application was launched on 11 March 2010 and cost £10,000.
	The third is the World Cup/Football Fan Fitness Application. This is an online, Facebook and iPhone application providing a fitness assessment tool that aims to encourage adults to think about their health and become more physically active. The application was launched on 9 June 2010 to coincide with the World Cup and continues through the current football season. The iPhone Application element cost £9,000.

Health Services: Greater London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to primary care trusts in London, Islington, Haringey, Barnet and Enfield on joint working and commissioning of health services; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The NHS Operating Framework sets out for national health service commissioners what the national priorities are and where they have discretion in terms of local commissioning. It advises that joint working should happen where appropriate; however this should be determined by the local NHS.

Hospitals: Food

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the  (a) effects of the Better Hospital Food Panel on the level of malnutrition among patients in hospitals and  (b) weekly effects on that level of the disbanding of that committee.

Simon Burns: The Better Hospital Food Programme (BHF) programme, overseen by the Better Hospital Food Panel, was introduced following the publication of the NHS Plan in 2000. It took forward a number of initiatives, including:
	the introduction of 24-hour catering services;
	the introduction of housekeepers in half of all hospitals;
	the requirement for dieticians to advise on the nutritional quality of hospital food; and
	the introduction of unannounced inspections (Patient Environment Action Team).
	The programme aimed primarily at improving patient experience, through improving the quality and availability of food. Measures taken included the introduction of protected mealtimes, greater access to snacks and the launch of an NHS Recipe Book-which includes material on 'soft meals' for the many patients who find chewing and swallowing difficult. Measures such as this would be expected to have a knock-on effect on nutritional status, but this was not formally measured. Details of clinical malnutrition are collected via the Hospital Episode Statistics process and these are routinely provided on an annual basis.
	Central initiatives can only go so far in supporting local improvement. The decision to close the BHF programme was taken in April 2006. Funding previously allocated centrally was passed directly to the national health service-to allow it to develop services in the way that is appropriate for local organisations.
	Work on implementation of hospital food policy was moved to the National Patient Safety Agency in 2005-06. The resources developed as part of the programme are still available via the Hospital Caterers' Association website. Their contribution to ongoing improvement therefore remains, even though the programme has closed.

Mental Health

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to establish a joint commissioning board for mental health.

Paul Burstow: There is no plan to establish a joint commissioning board for commissioning mental health services at a national level. The NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for ensuring that appropriate services are commissioned for the whole population and local arrangements will be for local determination.
	Our proposals for commissioning give general practitioner consortia responsibility for commissioning the majority of national health service services, supported and held to account by an independent NHS Commissioning Board, and Health and Wellbeing Boards. Mental health services will form an integral part of the range of services commissioned, informed by the output of the local joint strategic needs assessment process led by local authorities.
	Flexibilities in the NHS Act 2006 can support and enhance opportunities for integrated working, particularly section 75, which supports a range of partnership arrangements where they can demonstrate this will lead to improvements for services.

Methadone

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of  (a) people receiving regular methadone prescriptions and  (b) prescriptions for methadone issued by each primary care trust.

Anne Milton: The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System collects information on the number of people receiving substitute prescribing interventions for opioid dependence in England, but does not distinguish between methadone and other drugs, such as buprenorphine, which are also recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The number of adults receiving substitute prescribing was 153,632 in 2009-10.
	The following table gives the number of items of methadone prescribed in each primary care trust in England, in the financial year 2009-10.
	Methadone is used as an opioid analgesic, a treatment in opioid dependence and as a cough suppressant. Prescriptions for all uses of methadone are included in the figures given.
	
		
			  Primary care trust (PCT) name  Items (thousand) 
			 PCT Ashton, Leigh and Wigan 21.2 
			 PCT Barking and Dagenham 1.1 
			 PCT Barnet 3.1 
			 PCT Barnsley 21.4 
			 PCT Bassetlaw 10.3 
			 PCT Bath and North East Somerset 11.9 
			 PCT Bedfordshire 16.4 
			 PCT Berkshire East 8.1 
			 PCT Berkshire West 17.4 
			 PCT Bexley Care Trust 1.0 
			 PCT Birmingham East and North 14.4 
			 PCT Blackburn with Darwen CTP 15.2 
			 PCT Blackpool 25.7 
			 PCT Bolton 24.5 
			 PCT Bournemouth and Poole Teaching 23.8 
			 PCT Bradford and Airedale Teaching 53.9 
			 PCT Brent Teaching 5.3 
			 PCT Brighton and Hove City 15.2 
			 PCT Bristol 57.2 
			 PCT Bromley 1.7 
			 PCT Buckinghamshire 3.8 
			 PCT Bury 9.4 
			 PCT Calderdale 14.1 
			 PCT Cambridgeshire 24.9 
			 PCT Camden 3.8 
			 PCT Central and Eastern Cheshire 12.3 
			 PCT Central Lancashire 24.3 
			 PCT City and Hackney Teaching 16.4 
			 PCT Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 8.8 
			 PCT County Durham 27.6 
			 PCT Coventry Teaching 35.3 
			 PCT Croydon 2.0 
			 PCT Cumbria Teaching 27.3 
			 PCT Darlington 9.0 
			 PCT Derby City 23.9 
			 PCT Derbyshire County 36.4 
			 PCT Devon 6.3 
			 PCT Doncaster 33.4 
			 PCT Dorset 11.4 
			 PCT Dudley 17.3 
			 PCT Ealing 10.2 
			 PCT East and North Hertfordshire 2.5 
			 PCT East Lancashire Teaching 32.0 
			 PCT East Riding of Yorkshire 10.6 
			 PCT East Sussex Downs and Weald 13.5 
			 PCT Eastern and Coastal Kent 28.7 
			 PCT Enfield 4.0 
			 PCT Gateshead 22.9 
			 PCT Gloucestershire 7.9 
			 PCT Great Yarmouth and Waveney 5.3 
			 PCT Greenwich Teaching 3.0 
			 PCT Halton and St Helens 27.8 
			 PCT Hammersmith and Fulham 5.7 
			 PCT Hampshire 27.4 
			 PCT Haringey Teaching 2.5 
			 PCT Harrow 4.0 
			 PCT Hartlepool 18.7 
			 PCT Hastings and Rother 11.2 
			 PCT Havering 0.7 
			 PCT Heart of Birmingham 53.6 
			 PCT Herefordshire 11.9 
			 PCT Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale 18.8 
			 PCT Hillingdon 2.6 
			 PCT Hounslow 0.8 
			 PCT Hull Teaching 51.5 
			 PCT Isle of Wight NHS 6.7 
			 PCT Islington 11.7 
			 PCT Kensington and Chelsea 4.4 
			 PCT Kingston 1.6 
			 PCT Kirklees 32.8 
			 PCT Knowsley 13.7 
			 PCT Lambeth 11.7 
			 PCT Leeds 57.5 
			 PCT Leicester City 26.8 
			 PCT Leicestershire County and Rutland 25.2 
			 PCT Lewisham 7.8 
			 PCT Lincolnshire 14.2 
			 PCT Liverpool 37.6 
			 PCT Luton 14.1 
			 PCT Manchester 54.6 
			 PCT Medway 11.9 
			 PCT Mid Essex 14.3 
			 PCT Middlesbrough 34.9 
			 PCT Milton Keynes 0.4 
			 PCT Newcastle 32.3 
			 PCT Newham 8.5 
			 PCT Norfolk 34.9 
			 PCT North East Essex 5.8 
			 PCT North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus 19.7 
			 PCT North Lancashire Teaching 19.5 
			 PCT North Lincolnshire 11.5 
			 PCT North Somerset 9.9 
			 PCT North Staffordshire 8.2 
			 PCT North Tyneside 7.2 
			 PCT North Yorkshire and York 36.7 
			 PCT Northamptonshire Teaching 14.7 
			 PCT Northumberland Care Trust 18.3 
			 PCT Nottingham City 9.3 
			 PCT Nottinghamshire County Teaching 26.9 
			 PCT Oldham 14.3 
			 PCT Oxfordshire 31.2 
			 PCT Peterborough 16.3 
			 PCT Plymouth Teaching 23.0 
			 PCT Portsmouth City Teaching 20.1 
			 PCT Redbridge 0.7 
			 PCT Redcar and Cleveland 6.2 
			 PCT Richmond and Twickenham 2.5 
			 PCT Rotherham 29.8 
			 PCT Salford 15.3 
			 PCT Sandwell 4.3 
			 PCT Sefton 24.1 
			 PCT Sheffield 48.1 
			 PCT Shropshire County 8.1 
			 PCT Solihull Care Trust 8.3 
			 PCT Somerset 22.7 
			 PCT South Birmingham 27.2 
			 PCT South East Essex 7.8 
			 PCT South Gloucestershire 6.6 
			 PCT South Staffordshire 22.7 
			 PCT South Tyneside 7.8 
			 PCT South West Essex 9.9 
			 PCT Southampton City 4.0 
			 PCT Southwark 8.2 
			 PCT Stockport 12.4 
			 PCT Stockton-on-Tees Teaching 21.5 
			 PCT Stoke on Trent 27.5 
			 PCT Suffolk 5.6 
			 PCT Sunderland Teaching 12.4 
			 PCT Surrey 17.7 
			 PCT Sutton and Merton 0.5 
			 PCT Swindon 13.7 
			 PCT Tameside and Glossop 4.5 
			 PCT Telford and Wrekin 2.8 
			 PCT Torbay Care Trust 6.2 
			 PCT Tower Hamlets 17.9 
			 PCT Trafford 9.5 
			 PCT Wakefield District 33.3 
			 PCT Walsall Teaching 10.3 
			 PCT Waltham Forest 0.8 
			 PCT Wandsworth Teaching 2.2 
			 PCT Warrington 8.0 
			 PCT Warwickshire 2.4 
			 PCT West Essex 4.9 
			 PCT West Hertfordshire 5.6 
			 PCT West Kent 11.4 
			 PCT West Sussex 20.5 
			 PCT Western Cheshire 26.2 
			 PCT Westminster 14.1 
			 PCT Wiltshire 13.6 
			 PCT Wirral 47.7 
			 PCT Wolverhampton City 6.7 
			 PCT Worcestershire 14.3 
			 Unidentified prescribing 13.4 
			 England total 2,476.1

NHS

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has issued guidance to local authorities on the implications for them of the proposals in his Department's White Paper on Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS.

Paul Burstow: The Department's consultation on the Government's White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" closed on the 5 October, and the consultation on associated proposals for Increasing Democratic Legitimacy in Health, Transparency in Outcomes: A Framework, Commissioning for Patients and Regulating Healthcare Providers finished on 11 October. The Department is currently considering the responses to the consultations. No formal guidance has been issued to local authorities, although both Ministers and officials have been in discussions with representatives of local government about the proposals.

Palliative Care

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made on the development of a structured support service for people being treated for long-term conditions.

Paul Burstow: The national health service long-term conditions model focuses on supporting people to make decisions about how their care can be managed. It encourages a personalised approach offering one to one case management to those with the most complex needs, personalised care planning to fully involve people in decisions about their care and supporting people to self care.
	Data from the GP Patient Survey suggest that around 80% of people with a long-term condition have had a care planning discussion and of those around 70% say their care has improved as a result of the discussion. The survey also suggests that around 80% of people with a long-term condition feel supported to be independent and in control of their condition.

Pharmacy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the development of community pharmacy in  (a) deprived and  (b) other areas.

Simon Burns: The development of community pharmacy is linked to the requirement for each primary care trust (PCT) to assess the pharmaceutical needs for its area under section 128A of the NHS Act 2006. The aim of these needs assessments is to better inform local commissioning of pharmaceutical services and in turn improve health outcomes, contribute to wider developments in primary care provision and reduce health inequalities, by facilitating better access to pharmaceutical services appropriate for population needs. PCTs are required to produce their first pharmaceutical needs assessment by 1 February 2011.
	Subject to final analysis of the consultation on 'Liberating the NHS: Local democratic legitimacy in health', which closed earlier in October, and completion of the forthcoming Health Bill, we expect the responsibility for the development under regulations of local pharmaceutical needs assessments (which are closely aligned to Joint Strategic Needs Assessments) to pass from PCTs when they are abolished to Health and Wellbeing Boards in local authorities.

Pharmacy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made in developing the National Medicines Concordance Scheme.

Simon Burns: Discussions are continuing between NHS Employers (NHSE) and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee on potential community pharmacy service developments, such as support for people with a long-term condition newly prescribed a medicine.
	Departmental officials have asked NHSE to submit revised proposals, reflecting the coalition Government's strategy for health and care, including as set out in the recent White Paper. We have made it clear that any additional investment in service developments will need to be supported by a robust business case and be informed by the comprehensive spending review.

Pharmacy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether community pharmacies will be represented on the  (a) National Commissioning Board and  (b) Public Health Board.

Simon Burns: We intend to introduce legislation to establish the NHS Commissioning Board later this year. The Health Bill will set out further details about the membership of the Board and the process for making appointments.
	The forthcoming Public Health White Paper will describe the new Public Health Service.

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future of the requirement on acute services providers to report to their lead commissioner on  (a) local audits of the percentage of patients risk-assessed for venous thromboembolism who receive the appropriate prophylaxis and  (b) root cause analysis of all confirmed cases of hospital-acquired pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.

Simon Burns: As part of the National Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prevention Programme from 1 April 2010, the NHS Standard Contract for acute services requires providers to:
	Report to their lead commissioner on local audits of the percentage of patients risk-assessed for VTE who receive the appropriate prophylaxis being based on national guidance. (Where appropriate prophylaxis is used but is not based on national guidance, the reasons for this clinical decision will need to be fully documented); and
	undertake and report to their lead commissioner on root cause analysis of all confirmed cases of hospital acquired pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis (including those arising from a current stay or new events arising where there is a history of admission to hospital within the last three months), in accordance with clause 29 and schedule 5 part 2. The National Patient Safety Agency are developing a two page VTE tailored guide on root cause analysis for the national health service expected to be available before the end of the year.
	Failure to report in accordance with the provisions in the contract is a breach of performance that can lead to a withholding by the commissioners of up to 1% of monthly sums payable under the contract value until the breach is rectified. Where there is a persistent breach the withholding can be retained.
	There are no current plans to remove this from acute care providers' contracts for 2011-12.

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future of the national venous thromboembolism prevention strategy.

Simon Burns: Reducing death and disability from venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a clinical priority for the national health service. The NHS leadership team have introduced a range of measures during 2010-11 to support the existing national VTE prevention programme.
	The focus of the national programme is aimed at ensuring that:
	every adult patient admitted to an acute NHS service receives a documented VTE risk assessment;
	the risk assessment is followed up with appropriate prophylaxis based on national guidance;
	outcomes for patients are identified and recorded accurately; and
	the success of this national approach to VTE prevention is evaluated.

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to include reduced  (a) venous thromboembolism and  (b) appropriate thromboprophylaxis as an indicator for safe treatment in the first NHS Outcomes Framework; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The consultation document "Transparency in Outcomes-a framework for the NHS" put forward a range of possible outcome measures that could be presented in the first NHS Outcomes Framework. This included a measure on venous thromboembolism as an improvement area in domain 5 of the framework (Treating and caring for people in a safe environment and protecting them from avoidable harm).
	The consultation closed on 11 October. We are in the process of analysing the responses and it is expected that the first NHS Outcomes Framework, alongside the Government's response to the consultation, will be published in December 2010.

Thromboembolism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2010,  Official Report, column 275W, on thromboembolism, what proportion of providers has met the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme's goal on the reduction of venous thromboembolism.

Simon Burns: As stated in the previous answer of 6 September 2010, assessing and rewarding achievement of both locally and nationally defined Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) goals is the responsibility of local commissioners as part of their contractual relationship with providers, and the Department does not collect specific data on the achievement of CQUIN goals.
	For the national CQUIN goal on venous thromboembolism (VTE), the period over which commissioners will assess achievement during 2010-11 is a matter for local negotiation between commissioners and providers, although published guidance states that achievement of 90% must be over at least a full quarter to earn the related CQUIN payment. We understand that many providers are aiming to achieve the goal during the last quarter of 2010-11. A national data collection on VTE risk assessment started in June 2010. The publication date of the first full quarter's data is 3 December 2010.

TREASURY

Annuities

Jesse Norman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methodology was used to calculate the 55% recovery rate, as proposed in his Department's consultation on reforming the pension tax framework and ending the effective requirement to purchase an annuity at the age of 75 years.

Mark Hoban: The Government announced at the June Budget that they will end the effective requirement to purchase an annuity by age 75 from April 2011, and published a consultation document in July. The consultation document set out that reforms should not incur Exchequer cost, and that relief previously given on contributions should be recovered for any funds remaining after death, as well as taking into account that no charge to inheritance tax will apply. Given these principles, the Government's preliminary view was that an appropriate recovery charge for most death benefits would be around 55%.
	The final policy has not been decided and further detail on the tax reform proposals and the recovery charge will be published by the Government in the autumn after consideration of the consultation responses.

Annuities

Margot James: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to encourage more pensioners to search for competitive offers when converting their pension savings into an annuity.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 18 October 2010
	The Government believe that it is important for people to save for retirement and recognise the importance of the annuities market in providing an income in retirement.
	The Government support the Open Market Option which enables individuals to shop around for the best rate, and continue to consider ways to make this more effective.
	Complementing this, the Government will continue to work with interested groups to improve the quality of 'pre-retirement' advice.
	The Consumer Financial Education Body will launch the Annual Financial Healthcheck next spring, which will form a key component of the National Financial Advice Service.
	Together these will help people to access the advice they require to make important decisions about their retirement savings.

Endowment Mortgages: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an estimate of the number of people who have experienced a shortfall in their endowment policies sold by solicitors in Scotland since the implementation of the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not held centrally.

Financial Markets

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department made of the value of the over-the-counter derivative market in each of the last five years.

Mark Hoban: The Bank for International Settlement provides information regarding the value of over-the-counter (OTC) derivative markets in its semiannual OTC derivatives statistics report. The latest detailed report can be found on the following website:
	http://www.bis.org/statistics/derstats.htm

Financial Services Authority

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate the conduct of the Financial Services Authority in monitoring the activities of Crown Currency Exchange under the provisions of regulation 81 of the Payment Services Regulations 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The day-to-day operations of the Financial Services Authority are independent from Government control and influence.
	The Financial Services Authority (FSA) does not regulate retail foreign currency exchange services. So the FSA did not regulate in any way the foreign currency exchange business of Crown Currency Exchange.
	The Government will look at this case to see what lessons can be learned for the future.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department plans to respond to the letters of 9 August and 29 September 2010 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Baron) on his constituent Mr J. Lowe.

David Gauke: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when his Department plans to respond to the letters of 17 August and 29 September 2010 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Baron) on his constituent Ms L. Keeble;
	(2)  when his Department plans to respond to the letters of 13 August and 29 September 2010 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Baron) on his constituent Mrs A. Black.

Mark Hoban: I have replied to my hon. Friend.

Personal Savings

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to encourage individuals to allocate a higher proportion of disposable income to savings; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: To ensure a sustainable and balanced economic recovery, the Government need to encourage people to save and invest. Recent levels of saving have been too low with the household saving ratio dipping into the negative in 2008 for the first time since the 1950s. The Government are therefore committed to creating conditions for higher savings.
	The Government want a saving system based on freedom, fairness and responsibility, as well as ensuring lasting affordability and measureable effectiveness. These principles will guide the Government's aims of rewarding saving, supporting pensions, and helping vulnerable households to smooth their expenditure.
	A number of measures have been announced which will take the first steps in meeting these aims, such as the Annual Financial Healthcheck, the indexation of annual subscription limits for Individual Saving Accounts (ISAs), meaning that savers will be able to pay an extra £480 into their ISAs in 2011-12, and an end to the effective requirement to annuitise pension savings at 75.

Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in public spending per capita as a result of the £6.2 billion cost reductions announced on 24 May in each region.

Danny Alexander: Regional spending data for 2010-11 are not yet available. However, the savings announced on 24 May 2010 had the effect of reducing total managed expenditure (TME) per capita in the UK as a whole by around £84 this year.

Public Expenditure

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 October 2010,  (a) how many,  (b) for what period of time and  (c) at what cost to his Department staff were re-deployed temporarily to work on the Spending Challenge in July and August 2010.

Danny Alexander: As set out in my answer of 11 October the number of staff deployed on and contributing to the spending challenge in July and August 2010 varied depending on the particular requirements of the spending challenge at any one time. For those staff who were involved in the spending challenge while also taking forward other roles, I am afraid I can provide no further information as no record was made of the specific amount of time they devoted to the spending challenge alongside their other work.
	In terms of staff being temporarily redeployed from other roles in the Treasury to devote the majority of their time to the spending challenge, this comprised two Treasury Range Es (Grade 7) and one Treasury Range D (HEO). Based on the estimated average costs to the Department of employing these staff, the staff costs incurred by the Treasury over July and August would stand at £27,666, all covered from within existing budgets.
	As set out alongside the spending review, implementing ideas generated through the spending challenge will enable Government to save millions of pounds every year, far outweighing any costs imposed by the exercise.

Public Expenditure

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to publish an assessment of the effects on  (a) growth,  (b) employment and  (c) average household incomes of the proposals of the comprehensive spending review in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) each region of England.

Danny Alexander: The Government have no plans to publish this data on a regional basis. However, Annex B of the 2010 Spending Review report (Cm 7942) contains a distributional impact analysis of the spending review.

Public Expenditure

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the modelling undertaken by his Department on the likely social effects of the proposals in the comprehensive spending review.

Danny Alexander: The spending review, published on 20 October, set out spending plans for Departments to 2014-15. In implementing their plans, Departments will continue to give due consideration to the social effects of their undertakings, as per their obligations set out in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The Treasury has published an overview of the impact of Spending Review 2010 on equalities at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spend_sr2010_equalities.htm
	HM Treasury has no existing plan to publish a document further to this; individual Departments will continue to consider these issues as identified above.

Public Expenditure: Children

Natascha Engel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Public Expenditure Committee has to take into account the UK's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in its deliberations on public spending.

Danny Alexander: The Public Expenditure Committee takes account of all the United Kingdom's international treaty obligations, including the United Nations convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC). The education, health and well-being of children are vitally important for our society. The Government are committed to the UNCRC and believe it is vital that children and young people have a strong, independent advocate to champion their interests and views and to promote their rights.

Public Expenditure: Public Consultation

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many submissions his Department has received to its Spending Challenge initiative; and how many such submissions addressed  (a) the defence budget and  (b) the maintenance or replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system;
	(2)  how many submissions his Department's Spending Challenge initiative received  (a) in total,  (b) on defence spending and  (c) on the maintenance or replacement of the Trident nuclear weapon system;

Danny Alexander: Almost 64,000 ideas were submitted to the public sector element of the Spending Challenge, with over 45,000 further ideas being submitted through the general public element.
	Following the sifting and amalgamation of similar ideas, there were 308 unique policy proposals relating to different aspects of the defence budget, including Trident, from the public sector website. The number of submissions relating to each policy proposal was not recorded during the Spending Challenge process.
	On 20 October, we published the full list of unique policy proposals on the Spending Challenge website and will publish all the original ideas received through the Spending Challenge website that passed our moderation procedures shortly.

Public Sector: Pensions

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people employed in the public sector were members of non-contributory pension schemes in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Danny Alexander: Public service employees who are members of the main public service pension schemes pay contributions towards their pensions, with the exception of members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme-although the value of armed forces pensions is taken into account by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body when they make their recommendations on military pay. The number of members of this scheme as at 31 March 2010 can be found in the Armed Forces Pension Scheme Resource Accounts 2009-10 under Membership Statistics, which is available at:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1011/hc02/0210/0210.pdf

Public Sector: Swansea

Geraint Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will conduct an impact assessment to establish the likely effects of implementation of the Comprehensive Spending Review outcomes on the number of public sector jobs in Swansea.

Danny Alexander: These data are not available and the Government have no plans to publish data of this kind. However, Annex B of the 2010 Spending Review report (Cm 7942) contains a distributional impact analysis of the spending review.

Tax Rates and Bands: Carlisle

John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many higher rate taxpayers there are in Carlisle constituency.

David Gauke: The number of individual income taxpayers by constituency can be found in table 3.15 "Income and Tax by Parliamentary Constituency" at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm#315
	Estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes, of which 2007-08 is currently the latest available.
	Information on the number of higher rate taxpayers at constituency level is not readily available. Sample sizes at constituency level are small and estimates can demonstrate a large variability from year to year, therefore any inference from the information in table 3.15 should take into account the confidence intervals in table 3.15a "Income and Tax by Parliamentary Constituency, Confidence Intervals".

WORK AND PENSIONS

Businesses

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department provides support for small business owners dealing with customers who fail to pay for services that have been provided.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	Business tells us that the number one priority is certainty of payment and that is why we support the Institute of Credit Management's (ICM) Prompt Payment Code, which requires signatories to pay according to agreed terms. Experian analysis suggests that signatories to the code represent around two-thirds of total UK supply chain value. We are also helping suppliers help themselves through our Managing Cash Flow guides, which are supported by all the leading business representative bodies.
	It is open for any business to recover debts owed to it via the courts. The Bulk Claims Centre has been set up by HM Courts Service specifically to deal with straightforward high volume debt collection work. The Money Claims on Line (MCoL) system has been designed for creditors who do not issue high volumes of claims. Both systems remove the administrative and procedural work and provide users with a faster, guaranteed service. There are also discounts on the standard county court fees.

Child Maintenance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of non-resident parents who are liable to pay child maintenance to a parent with care who also receive child maintenance from that parent  (a) nationally and  (b) in Walsall South constituency.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of non-resident parents who are liable to pay child maintenance to a parent with care who also receive child support payments from that parent (a) nationally and (b) in Walsall South constituency.
	As at June 2010, there are 7,200 non-resident parents nationally who have a liability to pay child maintenance to a parent with care at the same time that they are receiving maintenance from that person for another case. Those receiving maintenance include cases where a maintenance direct arrangement is in place. Of those, 15 live in Walsall South constituency.
	Some of these cases will include arrears only cases where the child or children have moved household but arrears of maintenance are still being collected. Figures include cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems only and exclude cases administered off system.

Child Maintenance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of parents with care who both pay and receive child maintenance  (a) nationally and  (b) in Walsall South constituency.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his most recent estimate is of the number of parents with care who both pay and receive child maintenance (a) nationally and (b) in Walsall South constituency.
	The number of parents with care nationally who are receiving child maintenance payments, who are also a non-resident parent paying child maintenance in the quarter to June 2010 was 6,530. Of those, 15 live in Walsall South constituency.
	These figures include cases where maintenance direct arrangements are in place between the non-resident parent and the parent with care. The figures are for cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer system only and therefore exclude cases administered off-system.

Child Maintenance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of non-resident  (a) mothers and  (b) fathers (i) nationally and (ii) in Walsall South constituency who have deductions for other relevant children taken into account before their income is tested for child maintenance payments to qualifying children.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his most recent estimate is of the number of non-resident (a) mothers and (b) fathers (i) nationally and (ii) in Walsall South constituency who have deductions for other relevant children taken into account before their income; is tested for child maintenance payments to qualifying children.
	Nationally there are 124,300 male non-resident parents and 18,400 female non-resident parents who have child maintenance cases which take into account that the non-resident parent has a child support case for another child/children with a different parent with care, or that the non-resident parent has a relevant child/children living in their household. Of those, 185 male non-resident parents and 30 female non-resident parents live in Walsall South constituency.
	These figures include non-resident parents with live and assessed cases where either a positive liability to pay maintenance exists or a nil liability decision has been made. Management information only records relevant other children on cases administered on the CS2 computer system. Therefore, cases administered on the CSCS computer system or off system are excluded from these figures.

Child Maintenance

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) of 14 June 2010,  Official Report, column 586, on child maintenance, what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission on a target for the collection of child maintenance payment arrears.

Maria Miller: The Government are considering the role that the child maintenance system can play in its overall commitment to support shared parenting and promote parental responsibility. In this context, and that of the spending review, the Department is in discussion with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission about a target for the collection of arrears.

Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the removal of the mobility component of the disability living allowance for people in residential care will be included in the welfare reform trials in Aberdeenshire and Burnley.

Maria Miller: There are no plans to increase the scope of the trial regarding migration of cases from incapacity benefit to employment and support allowance in Aberdeenshire and Burnley to include the removal of the mobility component of disability living allowance or people in care homes.

Employment and Support Allowance: Scotland

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of applications for employment and support allowance made in Scotland in 2009 and 2010 were rejected on the basis of the work capability assessment; and in respect of what proportion of such applications that decision was  (a) reversed and  (b) upheld on appeal.

Chris Grayling: The following table provides the latest available data on new ESA claims received in Scotland between October 2008 and February 2010:
	
		
			  ESA outcomes at initial assessment for new claims received in Scotland between October 2008 and February 2010 
			  Percentage 
			  Month ESA claim started  Support group  Work related activity group  Fit for work  Claim closed before assessment complete  Assessment still in progress 
			  2008  
			 October 5 8 47 39 1 
			 November 5 8 46 40 1 
			 December 5 9 44 41 1 
			   
			  2009  
			 January 5 10 47 38 1 
			 February 5 10 46 38 1 
			 March 5 9 48 37 1 
			 April 5 10 47 37 1 
			 May 6 9 46 37 1 
			 June 6 10 45 39 1 
			 July 7 9 45 37 2 
			 August 7 10 45 36 2 
			 September 7 10 45 35 2 
			 October 8 10 45 35 3 
			 November 7 10 44 36 3 
			 December 7 11 42 37 4 
			   
			  2010  
			 January 7 11 41 36 6 
			 February 7 10 40 35 8 
			   
			 Total 6 10 45 37 2 
		
	
	The following table gives the latest available data on the outcome of appeals for all new ESA claims received in Scotland between October 2008 and August 2009, where an appeal has been heard by July 2010. These are the latest dates for which we have available information.
	
		
			  Appeals against a fit for work decision in Scotland for ESA claims starting between October 2008 and August 2009 where an appeal has been heard by July 2010, rounded to nearest 10 
			  Month ESA Claim Started  Fit for work  Appeals heard (to date)  Percentage fit for work with an appeal heard (to date)  Decision in favour of appellant  DWP decision upheld  Percentage decision in favour of appellant  Percentage DWP decision upheld 
			  2008
			 October 470 230 49 90 140 46 54 
			 November 2,260 1,000 44 380 620 36 64 
			 December 1,940 890 46 350 540 50 50 
			 
			  2009
			 January 2,570 1,190 46 490 700 37 63 
			 February 2,590 1,230 47 530 710 34 66 
			 March 2,940 1,370 47 600 770 42 58 
			 April 2,710 1,240 46 550 690 52 48 
			 May 2,790 1,230 44 500 730 42 58 
			 June 2,870 1,200 42 520 680 34 66 
			 July 2,730 970 36 400 580 32 68 
			 August 2,720 820 30 330 500 35 65 
			 
			 Total 26,590 11,370 43 4,730 6,640 40 60 
		
	
	These tables are comparable to and consistent with those found in our latest publication of official statistics on the Work Capability Assessment, released on 26 October 2010. This publication can be found on the internet at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php? page=esa_wca

Employment Schemes: North East

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to provide  (a) training and  (b) employment opportunities for people in the North East under the age of 25 years who have been unemployed for more than six months.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) has lead responsibility for the provision of training and skills in England. BIS published a consultative version of its strategy paper "Skills for Sustainable Growth" in July 2010 which outlined their vision for an effective skills strategy. The final paper will be available in November and its results will factor into BIS's decisions to develop their skills strategy for the future. BIS Ministers see providing skills support to Jobcentre Plus customers, including young people who are unemployed, as a priority.
	There are also regional programmes which specifically address local skills and employment needs. Skills North East is the regional employment and skills partnership which invests in the development of skills to enhance the chances of those unemployed to gain employment.
	The Government aim to have the new Work programme in place nationally by the summer of 2011. This will help young people move into sustained employment rather then temporary jobs, and everyone, including young people, will have access to a fully integrated and coherent system of back-to-work support for the first time. We are planning further support for young people, including intensive work experience, more apprenticeships and more further education places.

Health and Safety Executive: Industrial Health and Safety

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints of breaches of health and safety legislation the Health and Safety Executive received in respect of its own organisation in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints were confirmed on investigation in each such year.

Chris Grayling: HSE's records indicate that, over the last five years, there has been a single breach of health and safety legislation with respect to HSE's own organisation. This occurred at HSE's Health and Safety Laboratories (HSL) in Buxton in March 2008. As a result of HSL staff reporting structural and ventilation failings found in a laboratory, HSE's own specialist staff served a Crown Improvement Notice on HSL requiring a thorough examination of local exhaust ventilation equipment as required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2005. HSL met the requirements of the notice by the compliance date and the notice was discharged.

Health and Safety: Licensed Premises

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the adequacy of the Health and Safety Executive's enforcement regime for the purposes of ensuring that health and safety requirements are implemented by owners of licensed premises.

Chris Grayling: HSE shares the enforcement of health and safety law with local authorities. Licensed premises are predominantly in the entertainment sector for which local authorities are the enforcing authority under the health and safety (enforcing authority) regulations.
	HSE has responsibility for operational policy in local authority enforced premises. It fulfils this role by identifying issues of concern and developing standards, advice and guidance to local authority inspectors. It also provides operational support when needed to their investigatory and enforcement work.

Housing and Council Tax Benefit: Fraud

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of convictions for  (a) housing benefit and  (b) council tax benefit fraud as a result of local authority fraud investigations in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The estimated number of convictions for housing benefit and council tax benefit fraud as a result of local authority fraud investigations from April 2005 to March 2008 are as follows:
	
		
			  Housing benefit and council tax convictions 
			   Number 
			 2005-06 6,234 
			 2006-07 5,860 
			 2007-08 6,493 
		
	
	These figures represent the total number of convictions for housing benefit and council tax benefit fraud. Information is not available on the number of convictions for housing benefit alone and for council tax benefit alone.
	The number of convictions for housing benefit and council tax benefit fraud from April 2008 to date is currently unavailable. From 1 April 2008, the Department moved to monitoring performance on fraud and error activity through a new quarterly return, the Housing Benefit Recoveries and Fraud (HBRF). Work is currently under way to quality assure this data and the statistics will be published in due course.

Housing Benefit

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much revenue his Department expects to accrue consequent on the removal of housing benefit excess in each of the next 10 years; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of the administration of that change in each relevant year.

Steve Webb: The estimated saving to the Exchequer associated with this measure in terms of reduced annually managed expenditure in the next four financial years is:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2011-12 160 
			 2012-13 310 
			 2013-14 310 
			 2014-15 310 
		
	
	The administrative impacts of this measure are expected to be negligible. The excess provision will be removed for existing customers when their claim is reviewed by the local authority which will usually be at the anniversary point of the claim.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from what local authorities he has received representations on local housing allowance and housing benefits since June 2010; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence with each such local authority.

Steve Webb: A search of correspondence addressed to Department for Work and Pensions Ministers has shown that the following local authorities have made representations following the June 2010 Budget announcements where the subject is recorded as local housing allowance or housing benefit.
	Barrow Borough Council
	Brent Council
	Brighton and Hove City Council
	Gwynedd Council
	London Borough of Newham
	South Worcestershire-Malvern Hills District, Worcester City and Wychavon District-(shared services)
	Westminster City Council
	Copies of the correspondence will be placed in the Library.
	Other similar letters and representations may have been received, but recorded under different subjects, or not recorded on the system.
	We have also consulted formally with the local authority associations on the reform proposals.

Housing Benefit: Children

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects on local demand for school places of the proposed reductions in entitlements to housing benefit; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of children who will be required to move to another school as a result of their family moving home following a reduction in housing benefit in each of the next four years.

Steve Webb: We have discussed the possible impacts of the housing benefit changes with the Department for Education and the devolved Administrations. It is not however possible to estimate how many households with children will move, or where they will move to.

Housing Benefit: Poverty

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that the planned reductions in entitlements to housing benefit do not result in an increase in the number of children living in poverty in each of the next four years; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Our initial estimates suggest that the housing benefit policies announced in the June 2010 Budget will not have a significant impact on the overall number of children in poverty. We are currently working to refine this estimate. The welfare reforms announced in the June 2010 Budget and the 2010 spending review will enable a greater proportion of expenditure to be spent on services such as increasing support for the poorest in the early years and investing in Sure Start health visitors to ensure that the poorest families are not trapped in a cycle of dependency.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the ability of housing associations to raise and service finance on the capital markets to fund the building of housing in each of the next five years of  (a) the proposed weekly cap on housing benefit and  (b) the uprating in housing benefit, with reference to the consumer price index rather than average rents.

Steve Webb: The weekly caps and the uprating in line with the consumer price index announced in the June budget apply to housing benefit claims from private sector tenants assessed under the local housing allowance arrangements. Housing Association tenants are not assessed using the local housing allowance and are not therefore subject to either of these measures.

Incapacity Benefits

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department's estimates of the number of recipients of benefits awarded on a condition of incapacity or limited capability who will in future be found to be fit for work include assumptions relating to the number of successful appeals against work capability assessments which will be made.

Chris Grayling: As we begin to reassess the work capability of incapacity benefit claimants, we anticipate that the volume of cases processed will result in higher overall volumes of appeals. The quantity and likely outcomes of these appeals have been factored into our estimates.

Independent Living 2006 Fund

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the future of the independent living fund; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: We are considering options for the long-term future of the independent living fund in consultation with the Department of Health and the trustees of the independent living fund. In order to safeguard existing users' awards the independent living fund is not accepting new applications for the remainder of the year. In reaching any decision on the future of the independent living fund we will work with the trustees of the fund, disabled peoples' organisations and other key stakeholders to ensure that the needs of existing users of the independent living fund are taken into account.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department plans to respond to the letters of 23 August and 30 September 2010 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Baron) on his constituent Mr M. Allison.

Chris Grayling: The Minister for Welfare Reform replied to the hon. Member's letters on 18 October 2010 (our reference: POS(4)10330/224). I have arranged for a copy to be sent to him.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons support for mortgage interest payments was reduced before agreement on averaging out rates was reached.

Steve Webb: The standard interest rate used to calculate support for mortgage interest was fixed at 6.08% by the last Administration. That rate resulted in the vast majority of people getting more than their eligible mortgage interest liability, which was unfair to taxpayers.
	On 22 June 2010, the Chancellor announced in the emergency Budget that the standard interest rate would be based on the Bank of England's published monthly average mortgage interest rate. Legislation to introduce this change came into effect from 1 October 2010 and the standard interest rate is currently 3.63%.
	We believe this is fairer to claimants compared to the previous Administration's plans to revert to 2.08% from January 2011.
	The Government will continue to explore with mortgage lenders the scope for them to "freeze" benefit claimants' mortgage accounts and apply a standard interest rate for a fixed period.

Personal Income

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the median gross household income was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The latest available figures show the median equivalised gross income in 2008-09 is £515 per week. This statistic is based on households below average income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2008-09 Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Gross incomes have been presented. The HBAI publication looks at net disposable incomes before and after housing costs. Figures have been rounded to the nearest pound sterling.

Public Expenditure

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he made of the monetary value of savings credit payments in 2014-15  (a) taking account and  (b) not taking into account of the implementation of the proposed changes to that scheme announced in the (i) June 2010 Budget and (ii) comprehensive spending review.

Steve Webb: Any assessment of the monetary value of savings credit payments as a result of the announcements made in the June 2010 Budget and the comprehensive spending review will feed into the 2011 up-rating. An up-rating statement will be made in the House later this year.

Social Security Benefits

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an estimate of the number of residents of each local authority area in Scotland who are likely to be affected by the proposed time limit on the payment of employment and support allowance.

Chris Grayling: As part of the spending review announcement, we have set out our intention to introduce a time limit of one year for those claiming contributory employment and support allowance and who are placed in the work-related activity group. All other groups claiming employment and support allowance are not affected by this measure.
	Estimates of the numbers affected by time limiting are not available by local authority area.

Social Security Benefits: Fines

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanisms will be put in place for benefit claimants who wish to dispute fines levied for not informing the relevant agency of a change of circumstances.

Chris Grayling: On 18 October, the Department published its new strategy to tackle fraud and error in the benefit and tax credits system. The strategy announced the introduction of a new £50 civil penalty for those individuals who fail to take reasonable care of their claim, or who knowingly let a change in circumstance run on while incurring an overpayment.
	There will be a clear appeals process in place so that claimants can disagree with the overpayment decision and also against the decision to instigate a penalty. The claimant will be given full details on how to undertake their appeals and the timescales within which they may do so.
	The penalty is intended to deter negligent behaviour and increase personal responsibility for keeping claims correct.
	A copy of the full strategy can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/tackling-fraud-and-error.pdf

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the loss to the Exchequer consequent on benefit fraud in each  (a) local authority and  (b) region in each year since 1997.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
	DWP fraud and error estimates, published in the Fraud and Error in the Benefit System series, provide fraud and error estimates at a national level. The estimates are derived from the examination of a sample of benefit payments. The sample sizes are too small to produce valid estimates at sub-national level.
	The total amount lost to fraud in the benefit system in 2009-10 is estimated at around £1 billion. Of this, around £260 million is estimated overpaid due to fraud in housing benefit.
	The latest estimates of fraud and error in the benefits system can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/fem/fem_oct08_sep09.pdf
	On 18 October 2010 the Government published a radical new strategy for reducing fraud and error in the welfare system. The strategy sets out a range of measures to reduce fraud and error by over 25% by March 2015. The strategy can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/tackling-fraud-and-error.pdf

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been prosecuted for benefit fraud in  (a) Bury North constituency and  (b) the North West in the last three years; what the cost to his Department has been of benefit fraud in each such area in each such year; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of benefit fraud.

Chris Grayling: The number of people prosecuted for benefit fraud in Bury North and the North West in each of the last three years is not available. The cost to the Department of benefit fraud in Bury North is not available, but the value of fraudulent overpayments can be identified for part of the period for the North West. The following information is available:
	
		
			  Total value of identified fraudulent overpayments in the North West 
			   £ 
			 2008-09 28,384,000 
			 2009-10 24,766,000 
			 2010-11(1) 12,296,000 
			 (1 )To end September 2010.   Notes:  1. Figures for 2007-08 are not available due to roll-out of the Fraud Referral and Intelligence Management System (FRAIMS).  2. Data in table extracted from FRAIMS.  3. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. 
		
	
	On 18 October 2010 the Government published a radical new strategy for reducing fraud and error in the welfare system. The strategy sets out a range of measures to reduce fraud and error by over 25% by March 2015. The strategy can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/tackling-fraud-and-error.pdf

Winter Fuel Payments: British Nationals Abroad

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the cost to the public purse was of payment of the winter fuel allowance to pensioners living in Spain in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of the average annual cost to the public purse of payment of the winter fuel allowance to pensioners who are not domiciled in the UK.

Steve Webb: In 2009-10, the most recent date for which information is available, expenditure on winter fuel payments paid to people living in Spain was estimated to be £7 million.
	Expenditure on winter fuel payments paid to people living in the European economic area and Switzerland in 2009-10, the most recent date for which information is available, was £15 million. This represents less than 1% of the total expenditure on winter fuel payments.
	 Note
	The distribution of the different levels of payment in Spain is assumed to be the same as that for the European economic area, as country-level information about distribution of payment amounts is not available.
	 Source
	DWP Statistical and Accounting Data

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: EC Aid

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department holds figures on the monetary value  (a) in total and  (b) per head of population of the recipient country disbursed to each country from the (i) EU aid budget and (ii) European Development Fund in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not collate these data. The latest figures can be found in the European Commission's annual report on the European Union's development and external assistance policies and their implementation in 2009. Total EU Official Development Assistance (ODA) by country and per capita in each country in 2009 is available in table 6.11 on page 180. I will arrange for a copy of the report to be deposited in the Library of the House. A breakdown of EU ODA provided through the EU Budget and European Development Fund (EDF) is not available. The majority of EU ODA to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries is provided through EDF.

Economic Growth: Finance

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department plans to allocate to economic growth and wealth creation programmes in each year to 2014-15.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK Government are reviewing all bilateral and multilateral programmes to ensure resources are focused where they will achieve most impact. The outcome of the reviews will determine allocations across the Department for International Development, including allocations to economic growth and wealth creation, for the four years of the spending review period. Wealth creation in developing countries is critical to poverty alleviation and is one of six key priorities for the UK Government, as set out in the Structural Reform Plan.

Haiti: Earthquakes

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information he holds on the monetary value of EU aid delivered to Haiti since the earthquake in that country; on what programmes his Department's contribution to that aid has been spent; what timetable has been set for the delivery of that aid; what proportion of that aid has been delivered on time on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen O'Brien: Since the earthquake in Haiti, the EU's immediate humanitarian response, managed by the European Commission, has amounted to €30 million (£27 million) up to the end of September. A further €90 million (£80 million) is planned to be spent by August 2011 on various interventions including shelter, water sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition and food assistance. In the longer term, €460 million (£409 million) has been earmarked for reconstruction assistance.
	The UK's share of this EU assistance is estimated at some 14%. It is not earmarked for any particular part of these EU programmes.

Overseas Aid

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department plans to allocate to  (a) the Stabilisation Aid Fund and  (b) the Conflict Prevention Pool in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15.

Andrew Mitchell: The Stabilisation Aid Fund and Conflict Prevention Pool were merged into a single Conflict Pool in financial year 2009-10.
	The Conflict Pool does not draw its resources from departmental budgets; it is part of a separate HM Treasury settlement on conflict resources which is managed jointly by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence. The settlement provides resources to cover the United Kingdom's legally binding commitments on assessed peacekeeping costs (the Peacekeeping Budget) as well as discretionary expenditure on conflict prevention, stabilisation and peacekeeping (the Conflict Pool). As announced in the spending review, the Conflict Pool will increase over the next spending review period to £309 million in 2014-15. A statement on detailed allocations for Conflict Pool activity next financial year will be made in the coming weeks.
	This financial year, the Conflict Pool is £178.5 million. DFID has allocated an additional £1.5 million from its departmental budget to supplement the Conflict Pool's programme in Sri Lanka and £10 million for stabilisation activities in Afghanistan.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Equality Act 2010

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities when the Government intend to commence the public sector duty on socio-economic inequalities contained in the Equality Act 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 27 October 2010
	The Government are committed to tackling poverty and tearing down the barriers to equal opportunity. They are pushing ahead with policies that will make a real difference to people's life chances-the pupil premium, welfare reform, raising the income tax threshold, and improving work incentives.
	No decision has been taken on the commencement of the socio-economic inequalities duty.

Equality: Court Orders

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on equal treatment for fathers and mothers in the enforcement of family court orders.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government have had discussions with a number of fathers' groups about supporting involvement of both parents in their children's upbringing following relationship breakdown.
	The Family Justice Review, led by Sir David Norgrove is examining how to promote contact for non-resident parents and grandparents where this is in the best interests of the child.

Females: Low Incomes

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the contribution of the Minister for Equalities of 6 September 2010,  Official Report, column 152, in the adjournment debate on public expenditure reduction (women), what the evidential basis is that  (a) the Library's analysis of the Budget's impact on women was (i) biased and (ii) not robust and  (b) the Library research makes an extreme assumption that no income is shared; and what assumptions about (A) family structures and (B) how resources are shared within a household the Government made before the Budget.

Lynne Featherstone: Any analysis of tax and welfare changes by gender must make assumptions about how resources are shared within the household.
	Sharing of resources within the household will mean that although a benefit is received by a particular person in the household, the full impact does not fall on that person because the resource is shared with their partner and/or children. Taking account of this kind of income pooling is very difficult, as data and research in this area are sparse. Households share their resources in different ways-some will have no income pooling; some will share some income while others will share all their income. To analyse the impact of Budget decisions by gender, assumptions must be made about the extent to which resources are shared.
	The House of Commons Library has chosen to assume no income pooling in their research. While I accept that this assumption was chosen without political bias, it is an extreme assumption, and is unlikely to represent the way most households share resources. The results of the analysis depend heavily on the assumption that there is no household sharing, and should be interpreted accordingly recognising that a different choice of income pooling assumption would give different results. The analysis only includes selected measures, such as the abolition of the Health in Pregnancy grant, and excludes others, for example, the council tax freeze. Therefore the coverage can only be partial.
	In producing the analysis in annex A of the June 2010 Budget document, the Treasury based its assumptions about family structures on the Expenditure and Food Survey, and factors supplied by the Office for National Statistics. The Budget analysis was produced at a household level, and therefore assumptions around resource sharing would have no direct impact on the analysis presented.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Germany

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the costs of reinstatement of facilities in Germany when UK armed forces personnel stationed there have left.

Nick Harvey: As announced by the Prime Minister on 19 October 2010,  Official Report, column 797, as part of the strategic defence and security review, the Government have decided to accelerate the re-basing of 20,000 military personnel in Germany with aim to returning half of those personnel to the UK by 2015 and the remainder by 2020.
	Detailed work is now under way to consider how this will be implemented, and reinstatement of facilities will form an important part of this planning. At this stage it is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of likely reinstatement costs.

Armed Forces: Conditions of Employment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the new employment model for the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The new employment model is currently in the concept development phase, and we are examining how we might adjust terms and conditions of service in order to balance the expectations of service personnel with the demands placed upon them. The aim is to promote greater stability in service life while continuing to compensate for mobility.

Armed Forces: Germany

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many children of service personnel are resident in Germany;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on schooling of children of armed forces personnel in Germany.

Liam Fox: The latest figures available show that there are approximately 12,000 dependent children on the Ministry of Defence (MOD) estate in Germany.
	Ministry of Defence officials engage with Department for Education and Ofsted officials on a regular basis about the education of service children, including those in Germany. For example, officials are currently closely involved with the consultation on and development of ideas about a pupil premium for service children. Furthermore, the MOD director of the Children and Young People's Trust, who is also chief executive of Service Children's Education, the body responsible for military schools overseas, meets regularly with the Department for Education Advocate for Service Children.

Armed Forces: Housing

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the  (a) value for money and  (b) transparency of arrangements for letting subcontracts made by his Department's prime contractors; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: It is the Ministry of Defence's policy to encourage competition at subcontract level. Prime contractors are required to do this and advertise opportunities in the MOD Defence Contracts Bulletin, where appropriate. The MOD and industry have agreed principles that should be observed in the flow down of standard terms and conditions of contract at lower tiers in the supply chain.
	As part of our Green Paper on Defence Industry and Technology, to be published before the end of the year, we will be consulting on the role of small and medium sized businesses in defence acquisition.

Armed Forces: Personnel

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to use manning control points to terminate the contracts of service personnel.

Peter Luff: Since the days of National Service the Manning Control Point process has been used by the Army to address the difficulties created by individuals who have reached the limit of their employability or promotion prospects and are therefore restricting promotion opportunities for more junior soldiers. The process is not currently in use, and its future application is under review.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the cost of the Future Rapid Effects System programme;
	(2)  what the in-service date is for the Future Rapid Effects System utility vehicle.

Peter Luff: The Future Rapid Effect System programme has been recast from a single programme into a set of constituent programmes: the specialist vehicle programme, the utility vehicle programme, and the manoeuvre support vehicle programme.
	Expenditure to 30 September 2010 for the specialist vehicle and utility vehicle projects totals £249 million. There has been nil expenditure to date on the manoeuvre support vehicle project.
	The total estimated costs and the in-service dates cannot be confirmed until their respective main investment decisions are made. The timing of these decisions is subject to review following the publication of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Army: Reorganisation

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effects of implementation of his proposals for the reorganisation of the Army structure on force generation in the Army.

Nick Harvey: The reorganisation of the Army structure is designed to optimise force generation in the future to meet proposed Defence Planning Assumptions. The transformation over the next ten years to Future Force 2020 will provide five self-supporting Multi-Role Brigades and one specialist brigade, as opposed to the current mix of armoured, mechanised and light brigades which at present requires elements to be drawn from more than one formation to generate the forces required for current operations. In the period to 2015 no changes will be made which would have any adverse impact on our ability to generate forces for current operations in Afghanistan.

Civil Service: Redundancy

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the 25,000 reduction in civil service personnel he expects to be achieved through redundancy.

Peter Luff: It is too early to say. Discussions are under way with the trade unions to determine how the reductions may be achieved through various means including natural wastage and voluntary early release, thereby minimising the need for compulsory redundancies.

Defence Estates

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to reduce expenditure by rationalising defence estates.

Peter Luff: No decisions have yet been made on changes to the management of Defence estates.
	The Defence estate is kept under continual review to ensure that it is of the right size and quality to meet operational needs. However, estate rationalisation arising from the Strategic Defence and Security Review could lead to a further reduction in the size of the estate and to lower running costs.

Defence Estates

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes he plans to make to the management and delivery of infrastructure services across defence estates.

Peter Luff: No decisions have yet been made on changes to the management and delivery of infrastructure services across Defence estates.

Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward proposals to transfer the functions of the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator to an independent external regulatory body under the control of the proposed new Office of Nuclear Regulation.

Peter Luff: There are no proposals to transfer the functions of the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR) to any other body.
	DNSR will continue to work closely with the statutory regulators, including the proposed Office of Nuclear Regulation, to provide complete regulation of the defence nuclear programmes including those aspects exempted from statutory oversight.

Defence: Telecommunications Spectrum

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how he plans to proceed with the sale of the defence stake in the telecommunications spectrum;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the sale of the defence stake in the telecommunications spectrum on operations undertaken by UK armed forces.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence is currently evaluating its spectrum holdings between 70 MHz and 15 GHz to prepare for an initial release of spectrum in late 2012. This evaluation work will conclude in spring 2011 and a planned timetable of spectrum releases will be published shortly thereafter. MOD is considering several options for its approach to the market to release spectrum, including engaging a third party to trade spectrum on its behalf.
	It is likely that there will need to be some changes to the use of spectrum, but we do not anticipate that there will be any adverse impact to operations in the UK or elsewhere.

Defence: Telecommunications Spectrum

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the monetary value of his Department's share of the national telecommunications spectrum.

Peter Luff: We do not have an estimate of the total value of spectrum holdings assigned to Defence; this can only be determined realistically by reference to the market. Based on the Spectrum Audit conducted by Professor Martin Cave in 2004-05, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is paying a fee of some £64 million to Ofcom in financial year 2010-11 for the use of its spectrum holdings. The value of individual elements of MOD's spectrum holding will be determined when we bring some of our spectrum to market in the 2012-13 financial year. The precise details are yet to be established but the aim will be to maximise revenue to the Exchequer.

Defence: Expenditure

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 19 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 797-801 on the Strategic Defence and Security Review, whether the figure to be notified to NATO in respect of the proportion of gross domestic product spent on defence was calculated on the basis of his Department's core budget; and what account this calculation took of direct funding of defence expenditure from the Exchequer.

Gerald Howarth: The figures reported to NATO are for defence expenditure, detailed as per NATO instructions. This definition includes the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) core budget along with the cost of operations, pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments made to ex-military personnel, and non-budget costs.
	The MOD has estimated spending on defence as a percentage of GDP will continue to meet the NATO target of 2% over the spending review period.

Defence: Cyber Operations

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure he expects his Department to incur on the UK Defence Cyber Operations Group in the first 12 months of its operation.

Nick Harvey: £650 million has been agreed to fund the National Cyber Programme across Government. Detailed work on the Defence Cyber operations Group is ongoing, including determining the level of resource allocation.

Departmental Apprentices

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many apprentices were in post at the Met Office on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many such apprentices recruited in the last 12 months  (a) were previously apprentices,  (b) had been long-term unemployed and  (c) are graduates.

Peter Luff: There are no apprentices in post at the Met Office and none have been recruited in the last 12 months. The Met Office primarily meets its needs for trainees through graduate recruitment campaigns. The Met Office also runs an innovative IT trainee scheme, training individuals from A-level standard-seven have just completed this scheme and are now employed.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the five most expensive hospitality events hosted by his Department and its agencies have been since his appointment; and what the  (a) cost and  (b) purpose was of each of those events.

Peter Luff: Comparative cost information on hospitality events across the Ministry of Defence is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	We offer hospitality to pursue the UK's security policy interests, to give the public a better understanding of our armed forces and to enhance professional contacts within the UK and with other countries. Expenditure must be modest and necessary-under current spending restrictions any new expenditure is prohibited except in exceptional circumstances and must be approved by a senior military officer or senior civil servant.
	Yearly expenditure on entertainment and hospitality is published in the MOD's Annual Accounts, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House.

European Fighter Aircraft

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Typhoon jets he intends to order in the next five years.

Peter Luff: No decision has been made on any further orders.

Hercules Aircraft

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what savings he expects to accrue to his Department as a result of bringing forward the withdrawal of the C130J Hercules.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) made estimates of the cost savings accrued from measures in the strategic defence and security review for the purposes of formulating policy. Some of these have been published to help inform the public debate. Release of further detail may prejudice the MOD's negotiating position with its commercial suppliers. Furthermore, final savings figures will depend on detailed implementation, which will generally be subject to full consultation with all relevant parties, including the trades unions and the devolved Administrations, as well as the results of mandatory assessments on the impact that the measures will have on sustainability, equality and diversity, and health and safety. The MOD is therefore not prepared to release more detailed figures at this time.

Manpower

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  in which areas of the Royal Navy he expects there to be  (a) recruitment and  (b) redundancies in the next five years;
	(2)  in which areas of the British Army he expects there to be  (a) recruitment and  (b) redundancies in the next five years;
	(3)  in which armed forces  (a) ranks and  (b) units he expects headcounts to be reduced to achieve a 7,000 reduction in Army personnel;
	(4)  in which areas of the Royal Air Force he expects there to be  (a) recruitment and  (b) redundancies in the next five years.

Peter Luff: The Strategic Defence and Security Review announced that by 2015, the overall size of the Royal Navy would be reduced by around 5,000 to around 30,000, the Army by 7,000 to around 95,000 and the Royal Air Force by 5,000 to around 33,000. Further detailed work is required on how this reduction will be implemented. Some reduction will be managed through natural turnover. However, we do expect some redundancies. The process of identifying specific personnel requirements will take some time.
	We will continue to recruit in many areas of Defence to ensure we maintain critical skills and a coherent mix of trained and experienced personnel for the future.

Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he plans to proceed with the sale of Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre.

Peter Luff: The Government intend to sell the Marchwood Sea Mounting Centre through an arrangement that continues to provide the Ministry of Defence with the levels of service support it requires while delivering best value for money. The project implementation plan is being developed. I will write to the hon. Member when this is complete.

Nimrod Aircraft

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Nimrod platform has in protecting continuous at-sea deterrence.

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what capabilities will fulfil the role that would otherwise have been undertaken by Nimrod MRA4 aircraft.

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of jobs of the cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4 programme;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4 programme;
	(3)  what penalty payments his Department is liable to pay BAE Systems in respect of the cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4 programme.

Peter Luff: The decision not to bring the Nimrod MRA4 into service announced by the Prime Minister on 19 October was difficult, owing to the nature of the military tasks to which it was designed to contribute, the amount of public money that had been spent on it, and the impact of such a decision on the people who have dedicated their careers to delivering this capability, or who depend on it for their livelihoods.
	However, the severe financial pressures faced by the nation and the urgent need to bring the defence programme into balance meant that we could not retain all our existing programmes, and that we had to prioritise those capabilities that we could continue to maintain. This project has suffered from repeated delays and cost overruns. But it is the aircraft's future support costs that contributed to the decision not to bring it into service, despite its advanced state.
	The Nimrod MRA4's role as an Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance platform was to contribute to a wide range of military tasks. These included the protection of the nuclear deterrent and deployed Maritime Task Groups, surveillance and tracking of surface shipping, and a number of other operations relevant to the security of the UK and its overseas territories. The aircraft also fulfilled a secondary role in support of Long Range Search and Rescue.
	Since the withdrawal of the Nimrod MR2 in March this year, the Ministry of Defence has sought to mitigate the gap in capability through the use of other military assets, including Type 23 Frigates, Merlin Anti Submarine Warfare helicopters and Hercules C-130 aircraft, and by relying, where appropriate, on assistance from allies and partners. Although it was originally assumed that such measures would only be required for a limited period of time, we are now developing a longer-term plan to mitigate the impact of cancellation on our continuing military tasks and capabilities. In view of the sensitive and classified nature of some of these military tasks, and the implications for the protection of our armed forces, including the nuclear deterrent, it is not possible for us to comment on these measures in detail.
	Following last week's announcement we have also begun discussing with BAE Systems arrangements to terminate the contracts for production and support of the aircraft. Until these negotiations are complete it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the likely costs or the impact on personnel employed on the Nimrod MRA4 programme.

Reserve Forces

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what timetable he has set for the review of the reserve forces; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Discussions on the terms of reference and timetable for the study into the future role and structure of the reserves (including the Maritime Reserve, Territorial Army and Royal Auxiliary Air Force) are currently taking place. Once agreed we will place a copy of the terms of reference in the Library of the House.

Reserve Forces

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had on the role of the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association within the armed services as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Liam Fox: I refer my hon. Friend to the announcement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 19 October 2010,  Official Report, column 799, about the review of our reserve forces.
	There has been engagement with the reserve forces and cadet associations by Ministers and senior officials throughout the strategic defence and security review and these will continue as the scope and terms of reference of the review are finalised.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what penalty payments his Department is liable to pay in respect of the cancellation of contracts announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will be engaged in an extensive programme of commercial negotiations with its suppliers in the coming months, as part of the strategic defence and security review (SDSR) implementation process. This will focus on the areas where savings can be delivered and contract changes are required as a result of SDSR measures.
	Any liabilities as a result of contract cancellation or amendment will only emerge from this process.

Territorial Army

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the terms of reference are of the working group on the future of the Territorial Army.

Peter Luff: Discussions on the terms of reference of the study into the future role and structure of the Reserves (including Maritime Reserve, Territorial Army and Royal Auxiliary Air Force) are currently taking place. Once agreed we will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) he expects to order in the Spending Review period; and by what date he expects such vehicles to be in service;
	(2)  how many new unmanned aerial vehicles he expects to order; and what timescale he has set for their entry into service.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence has in recent weeks placed an order for a further 100 Mini Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) Desert Hawk III Air Vehicles to sustain the capability which has been supporting our troops in theatre since 2007. These are expected to be delivered in 2011-12. Additionally, we plan to order and receive up to five additional Reaper remotely piloted aircraft during the Spending Review period. Consideration of our requirement for future persistent armed surface surveillance is in its early stages. A remotely piloted system is one of the potential options to deliver this capability.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Basic Skills: Finance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department allocates for basic literacy and numeracy assessments undertaken in relation to the Basic Skills for Life programme; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: The funding for assessment in literacy and numeracy provision is included within the overall funding provided for each course; therefore there is no separate allocated amount. Learners are placed on the appropriate course depending on an initial assessment of their needs, and then they have the opportunity to work towards the achievement of a qualification.

Business: Bexleyheath

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to increase access to finance for businesses in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

Mark Prisk: The coalition Government have articulated their ambition to ensure the flow of credit to viable SMEs. Our consultation on business finance issues, "Financing a private sector recovery" closed on the 20 September, and received many responses from a wide range of firms, business representative bodies, individuals and investors. We are currently considering the Government's response which will be given shortly.
	There are various measures already in place to support access to finance for SMEs. I aim to continue to support and improve the diversity of sources and access to finance for SMEs that meet their needs. Such sources of finance available to SMEs including those in the hon. Gentleman's constituency of Bexleyheath and Crayford were announced by the Chancellor in the budget:
	A £200 million extension to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG), to benefit around 2,000 extra small businesses. In total, the EFG will now support up to £700 million in bank lending to viable small businesses. As at the 20 October, 10 businesses in the constituency of Bexleyheath and Crayford have been offered and have drawn down loans totalling £0.72 million.
	A new Enterprise Capital Fund to support small businesses with high growth potential-combining both Government and private sector funding.
	Confirmation of a Growth Capital Fund, to provide funding of between £2 million and £10 million for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with strong growth potential.

Business: Equality

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many meetings officials of his Department have had with the Government Equalities Office on the effect of equalities legislation on small businesses since his appointment.

Mark Prisk: Officials in BIS have met with officials from the Government Equalities Office on numerous occasions since my appointment to discuss a wide range of policy issues, including equalities legislation, and any such discussions that consider the impact of policy proposals on business include the effects on small businesses.

Business: Females

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what programmes his Department has in the higher education system to encourage female entrepreneurs; and how much his Department spent on each such programme  (a) nationally and  (b) in the West Midlands in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mark Prisk: The Department funds the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) to provide programmes in the higher education system that encourage entrepreneurs. "Make it Happen" and "Flying Start" are the two programmes that promote entrepreneurship to students and graduates. The total grant in aid allocated for the NCGE was £1.824 million in 2009/10 and is £900,000 in 2010/11 (subject to finalisation of the organisation's business plan and ministerial agreement).
	NCGE is continuing to support young people who joined "Make It Happen" last year. Of these, 1,875 are female entrepreneurs (46% of total numbers), and 117 of those female entrepreneurs are based in the West Midlands (6% of the total).
	NCGE ran two of its three-day "Flying Start" programmes specifically for female students during the last financial year. Some 60 women attended these sessions.
	The Department does not hold figures aggregating the proportion of funding for "Make It Happen" and "Flying Start" that was spent on women only.

Business: Unfair Practices

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent those previously convicted for offences relating to trading practices in a particular sector owning more than a minority shareholding in a new business in the same sector.

Edward Davey: There are no plans to bring forward legislation in this area.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his Department have been  (a) subject to disciplinary action,  (b) removed from post,  (c) transferred to another position and  (d) dismissed for matters relating to their (i) disciplinary record and (ii) performance in each year since his Department's inception.

Edward Davey: Six officials in BIS have been subject to disciplinary action in the calendar year 2010 to date. In 2009, the year of the Department's inception, 11 officials were subject to disciplinary action. Disciplinary action may include warnings, downgrading or dismissal.
	We are unable to provide the further breakdown requested as totals of five or less in each category are suppressed on the grounds of confidentiality under section 40 of the Data Protection Act. Also responsibility for commencing capability and minor disciplinary procedures rests with line management across the Department. No records are collated centrally regarding how many such procedures are initiated in the Department and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses he expects to receive assistance from the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme as a result of its recent extension.

Mark Prisk: An extra 2,000 businesses could benefit from the extra £200 million announced in the emergency Budget in June 2010 for the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, bringing the total able to be assisted during 2010-11 to around 7,000.

European Regional Development Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much and what proportion of the latest round of the European Regional Development Fund allocations to the UK for the period from 2007 to 2013 remains unspent.

Mark Prisk: For the period 2007-13 the UK has been allocated €5,410 million (approximately £4,630 million) of European regional development funds under the Convergence and Competitiveness operational programmes. To date, some £740 million has been paid to projects, with some £3,890 million (84%) remaining to be spent. However, well over 50% of the ERDF allocation of £4,630 million has already been contracted to projects. Payments to projects are on target and can be made up until end 2015.

Groceries Supply Code of Practice

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to introduce a body to monitor and enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.

Edward Davey: The coalition statement commits the Government to introduce the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). The Government response of 3 August set out how we would take this forward:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-law/docs/competition-matters/10-1011-groceries-supply-code-practice-government-response.pdf
	We now have approval to publish a draft Bill in the first session of this Parliament. This will be undertaken as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Higher Education: Costs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the cost of studying as an  (a) undergraduate and  (b) postgraduate at a university in (i) London and (ii) outside London; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The 'Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2007/08', published on 21 April 2009, provided estimates of the expenditure of higher education students attending higher education institutions and further education colleges in England and Wales.
	The following table shows the average and median expenditure of full-time undergraduate students according to whether they were studying in London or outside London, and includes a breakdown of living, housing, participation and child care expenses.
	The 2007/08 study covered a mixture of students to whom the pre and post-2006/07 student support arrangements applied, thus 61% of the full-time student-sample were subject to variable fees of up to £3,225, and 39% were under the previous arrangements.
	Differing maintenance loan levels apply for students according to whether they live in London or elsewhere, but these also take account of whether the individual lives independently, or at home with their parents.
	
		
			  Expenditure of full-time undergraduate students, by whether living in London or elsewhere 
			  £ 
			Living in London  Living elsewhere 
			 Living costs(1) Mean 6,663 6,469 
			  Median 5,358 5,279 
			  Standard error(2) 424 242 
			 
			 Housing costs(1) Mean 2,446 2,457 
			  Median 2,208 2,161 
			  Standard error(2) 183 134 
			 
			 Participation costs(3) Mean 3,271 3,132 
			  Median 3,330 3,235 
			  Standard error(2) 145 49 
			 
			 Spending on children(1) Mean 115 158 
			  Median - - 
			  Standard error(2) 42 23 
			 
			 Estimated total expenditure(1) Mean 12,495 12,216 
			  Median 11,395 10,770 
			  Standard error(2) 615 280 
			 
			 Unweighted count - 228 1,565 
			 (1) Figures adjusted for joint financial responsibility where relevant.  (2) The standard error measures the extent to which we expect the sample mean can differ from the population mean. Plus or minus two standard errors usually provides a 95% confidence limit: that is, we can be 95% confident that the 'true' value lies within that range.  (3) Participation costs include spending on tuition fees, travel to/from university, expenditure on books and equipment, and study related child care.  Base: All English-domiciled students.   Source:  NatCen/IES SIES 2007/08.

Imports: Health Foods

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the monetary value of imports of food supplements and other natural health products from the Channel Islands in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Edward Davey: This information is not available. For the purposes of the Overseas Trade Statistics, "UK" is defined as Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and the UK part of the Continental Shelf, so the Overseas Trade Statistics do not cover trade between these places.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the contiguity of proposed local enterprise partnership areas with county boundaries.

Mark Prisk: No specific guidance has been issued to local authorities on the contiguity of proposed local enterprise partnership areas with county boundaries. In the joint letter that my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government sent to local authorities and businesses on 29 June they expressed concerns that some local and regional boundaries do not reflect functional economic areas. The letter encouraged partnerships to better reflect the natural economic geography of the areas they serve and hence to cover real functional economic and travel to work areas.

Manufacturing Industry

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to support manufacturing industry in the  (a) short term and  (b) long term.

Mark Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 21 October 2010,  Official Report, column 869W.

Mature Students

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students who were 30 years of age or older at the time of admission started university undergraduate courses in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The latest available information for the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is shown in the following table. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011.
	
		
			  Undergraduate entrants( 1)  aged 30 and over: UK Higher Education Institutions( 2)  academic years 1999/2000 to 2008/09 
			   Entrants aged 30 and over 
			  Academic year  Full-time  Part-time 
			 1999/2000 31,335 114,665 
			 2000/01 32,190 113,555 
			 2001/02 35,735 128,905 
			 2002/03 37,390 133,905 
			 2003/04 39,315 136,405 
			 2004/05 38,610 133,475 
			 2005/06 39,195 132,430 
			 2006/07 36,570 125,545 
			 2007/08 36,500 123,025 
			 2008/09 37,810 120,645 
			 (1) Covers entrants of all domiciles to both full-time and part-time courses. (2) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series.  Note: Figures are based on a snapshot as at 1 December and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to reply to the letter dated 1 June 2010 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman), with regard to Eleanor Massey, transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Edward Davey: I apologise for the delay in replying. I will reply to the right hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

Public Expenditure

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has identified the 500MHz of public sector spectrum below 5GHz which is to be released over the next 10 years as indicated in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Edward Vaizey: The Government are keen that there is release of public sector spectrum in order to meet demands from the private sector. Work to identify suitable spectrum for release is now under way, but 180 MHz spectrum has already been identified from within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) holdings.

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) land assets and  (b) buildings each regional development agency has in freehold ownership.

Mark Prisk: I will place a list of the eight RDAs' (excluding London) freehold land and property assets in the Libraries of the House.

Students: Fees and Charges

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students have paid all or part of their tuition fees from their own funds in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is shown in the following table. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011.
	
		
			  English domiciled enrolments( 1)  by major source of tuition fees( 2) : UK Higher Education Institutions academic year 2004/05 to 2008/09 
			   No award or financial backing  Mix of student and SLC 
			  Academic year  Full-time  Part-time  Full-time  Part-time 
			 2004/05 441,900 362,435 75,180 20,855 
			 2005/06 446,025 363,290 70,600 24,440 
			 2006/07 343,695 355,465 41,430 30,790 
			 2007/08 309,015 336,770 60,330 35,575 
			 2008/09 271,605 340,345 40,020 40,290 
			 (1) Covers enrolments to all levels and modes of study. (2) Excludes those with unknown/missing tuition fee information. In 2008/09 16,005 students had missing information.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Students: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the number of students entering  (a) teacher training,  (b) medical degree courses and  (c) the police force of the implementation of the Browne Review proposals; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: We have endorsed the broad thrust of Lord Browne's proposals because they would place the funding of higher education on a sustainable basis; would protect students from low income backgrounds and low earning graduates; and because those students who benefit most in financial terms from their higher education would contribute most to the costs. Lord Browne also recommended that students need clearer information about the employment outcomes, including future earnings, of particular courses. Taken together, we would expect these recommendations to support appropriate levels of recruitment to graduate entry professions like teaching and medicine. We are considering our detailed response to Lord Browne's recommendations and will respond shortly.

TRANSPORT

Rail Fare Increases

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the effects of rail fare increases on the mobility of people seeking work.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport has not discussed this specific subject with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. However, the rail fare increases were part of the overall CSR package which received general Cabinet scrutiny and approval.

Human Trafficking: Port Security

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on an increase in security provision at ports for the purpose of preventing human trafficking.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport contributes to the wider cross-Government effort to tackle organised crime at UK ports. The Ports Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), would be happy to have discussions on this issue with the Home Office.

M4 Bus Lane

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the future of the M4 bus lane; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: We have received correspondence from both hon. Members and members of the public.
	It is our intention to remove the bus lane, initially for a trail period from December this year until the Olympic games and thereafter on a permanent basis, subject to the outcome of the trial and consultation.
	In opening the M4 bus lane to all traffic, we are looking to ensure that the road capacity which all taxpayers have contributed to paying for is efficiently used and accessible to all.

Motorways and Major Trunk Roads Programme

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans the Highways Agency has for the future of its Motorways and Major Trunk Roads programme.

Philip Hammond: I refer the hon. Lady to my oral statement "Investment in Highways and Local Transport Schemes" made to the House on 26 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 177-79 and the supporting details entitled "Investment in Highways Transport Schemes", placed in the Library of the House on the same day.

Mersey Gateway Bridge Scheme

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to make a decision on the statutory orders sought by Halton Borough Council in respect of the Mersey Gateway Bridge scheme.

Norman Baker: We will not be able to issue decisions immediately on the statutory orders, as there is still some work to be done to ensure that our decisions on these complex orders are thorough and robust. We also need to ensure, in liaison with the Department for Communities and Local Government, that decisions issue at the same time on all 10 orders and planning consents relating to the Mersey Gateway Project. We will, however, make every effort to conclude the statutory processes as soon as is reasonably possible.

Airports: Public Lavatories

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to require commercial passenger airlines to provide free lavatory facilities for passengers on all international flights using UK airports.

Theresa Villiers: The Government do not currently have any proposals to introduce regulation requiring airlines to provide free toilet facilities for passengers on international flights. We are not aware of any airlines which levy additional charges for the use of such facilities.

Alloy Wheels

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a legal weight limit for alloy wheels fitted to vehicles used on public roads in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport has no plans to introduce a legal weight limit (minimum or maximum) for alloy wheels fitted to vehicles used on public roads in the UK.
	Recently a new United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation has been agreed for the test methods and performance of replacement light vehicle alloy wheels. No decision has been made on whether to implement it in the UK, or across Europe.
	Existing legislation already requires new products, including wheels, which are placed on the market to be safe and fit for purpose. Action can be taken if a product is found to be unsafe.

Blue Badge Scheme

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the future of the blue badge scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Government are reviewing the existing Blue Badge scheme and considering options for reform. There will be an announcement about the future of the scheme made shortly.

Bus Services: Concessions

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the eligibility of higher rate taxpayers for concessionary bus passes.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State has recently received many representations regarding concessionary travel, mainly through correspondence, on a number of issues.

Cycling

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to increase the standard of highway authority delivery of cycle-friendly planning and design.

Norman Baker: Local highway authorities are responsible for the planning, design and delivery of cycle-friendly infrastructure within their areas. To assist them in this, the Department for Transport has published a considerable amount of evidence-based technical advice on good practice in the design and provision of cycle infrastructure, including 'Local Transport Note 2/08 Cycle Infrastructure Design, Manual for Streets and Manual for Streets 2':
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/ltnotes/ltn208.pdf
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/manforstreets/pdfmanforstreets.pdf
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/manforstreets/

Cycling

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department  (a) is undertaking and  (b) plans to undertake on measures to improve cyclists' safety.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport commissioned a research project looking at a range of road safety and cycling issues in August 2008 which has examined the following topics:
	Road user safety and cycling data
	Cycling infrastructure
	Attitudes and behaviours
	Bicycle helmets.
	To date the Department has published three reports:
	"Collisions involving cyclists on Britain's roads: Establishing the causes" (December 2009)
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme1/ppr445.pdf
	"The potential for cycle helmets to prevent injury: A review of the evidence" (December 2009)
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme1/ppr446.pdf
	"Cycling, safety and sharing the road: Qualitative research with cyclists and other road users" (September 2010)
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme1/researchreport/
	A report on infrastructure and cycle safety is in progress.

Cycling

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evidence his Department holds on the effect of helmet promotion campaigns on the level of cycle use.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport commissioned a research project looking at a range of road safety and cycling issues in August 2008. This includes a strand of research focussing on cycle helmets. An initial review of the literature on road safety and cycling revealed a lack of robust and reliable evidence on the effect of cycle helmets on the behaviour of cyclists and other road users. An exploration of road users' views on possible interventions to improve driver and rider behaviour was undertaken within the qualitative research task. The report for this work was published in September 2010 and is available via the Department's website.
	"Cycling, safety and sharing the road: Qualitative research with cyclists and other road users" (September 2010):
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme1/researchreport/

Cycling: Finance

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on funding programmes delivered by Cycling England; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Cycling England was set up as the independent expert body to advise on the promotion of cycling. The Government believe that this work can now be better delivered within the Department for Transport through the newly announced Local Sustainable Transport Fund, so Cycling England is to be wound up at the end of this financial year.
	Bikeability-cycle proficiency for the 21(st) Century-will be supported for the remainder of this Parliament (i.e. until 2015) from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. We will be announcing further details about this shortly. We want arrangements in place so that cycle training for children can be delivered in spring and summer 2011.
	Cycling England still has a programme of work to deliver for the remainder of this financial year and funding for this is not affected.
	DfT is also considering establishing an expert panel on wider sustainable travel which would promote cycling as part of the wider green agenda.

Cycling: Railways

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans he has to provide financial support to  (a) train operating companies and  (b) Network Rail for the integration of cycling and rail travel after April 2011;
	(2)  if he will take steps to require rail franchisees to provide space for cycles  (a) at railway stations and  (b) on new or refurbished rolling stock;
	(3)  if he will take steps to require  (a) rail franchisees and  (b) Network Rail to (i) consult on and (ii) monitor the effectiveness of measures to combine cycling and rail travel.

Theresa Villiers: The Government recognise the importance of investing in station improvements and is committed to facilitating this investment through reforms to the way the railways are run.
	We will grant longer rail franchises in order to give train operators the incentive to invest in the improvements passengers want including better cycle facilities at stations. We will also be considering options to alter the balance of responsibility for stations between Network Rail and the train operators.
	It is a commercial consideration for the individual train operating companies to provide storage space for cycles on their trains. It is not for the Department to dictate how many cycle spaces an operator should provide but we do encourage train operators to accommodate folding bicycles at all times.
	The Station Travel Plan pilot scheme being run by the rail industry aims to encourage passengers to travel to and from the station by more sustainable means. It is considering the provision of cycle storage facilities at stations and safe cycle routes to stations.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in his Department have been  (a) subject to disciplinary action,  (b) removed from post,  (c) transferred to another position and  (d) dismissed for matters relating to their (i) disciplinary record and (ii) performance in each year since 1997.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport was formed on 29 May 2002 comprising a central Department and seven agencies. The Department for Transport does not keep disciplinary records for the years prior to 2006 in accordance with Data Protection Act. The information reported is as follows:
	
		
			  (d) Dismissed for matters relating to their: 
			   (a) Subject to disciplinary action  (b) Removed from post( 1, 4)  (c) Transferred to another position( 4)  (i) Discipline record( 3)  (ii) Performance 
			 2010 116 0 1 16 11 
			 2009 221 6 6 32 9 
			 2008 (2)195 (2)5 (2)2 21 5 
			 2007 (2)302 (2)2 (2)0 26 0 
			 2006 (2)66 (2)0 (2)0 14 1 
			 (1) Highways Agency does not have information about staff who have been removed from their post as a consequence of disciplinary action. (2) Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not keep records of spent disciplinary penalties. For the period in question they are only able to report on disciplinary penalties which have led to a dismissal. Figures reflecting a number of disciplinary penalties that are still in force are for 2009 and 2010 to date only. (3) Vehicle and Operator Services Agency combined their answers for (d) (i) and (d) (ii) as more detailed information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The information is therefore reflected in (d) (i). (4) Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is unable to provide information about the number of officials who have been removed from post or transferred to another position due to disproportionate cost. Their information therefore is recorded in (a), (d) (i) and (d) (ii) only. 
		
	
	There are over 18,000 people employed by the Department for Transport and its agencies.

Departmental Sick Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in his Department have had  (a) fewer than five days,  (b) five to 10 days,  (c) 10 to 15 days,  (d) 15 to 20 days,  (e) 20 to 25 days,  (f) 25 to 50 days,  (g) 50 to 75 days,  (h) 75 to 100 days,  (i) 100 to 150 days, (j) 150 to 200 days,  (k) more than 200 days,  (l) more than three months,  (m) more than six months and  (n) one year on paid sick leave (i) consecutively and (ii) in total in each year since 1997.

Norman Baker: I am afraid that the information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department reports sickness absence figures to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and update our results on the external website:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/staff/sickabsence

Driving Tests: Qualifications

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence.

Michael Penning: The Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC) was introduced in September 2008 for coach and bus drivers, and September 2009 for lorry drivers to implement the requirements of EU Directive 2003/59/EC. It is too early yet to make any assessment of the scheme's effectiveness.

EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department and its non-departmental public bodies of compliance with  (a) domestic,  (b) European and  (c) other international human rights requirements in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not collate information on the costs of compliance with human rights requirements or the benefits that accrue. The Department takes account of the domestic and international human rights framework in developing all its policies and practices, as it does other relevant legal obligations; an accurate estimate of the total cost of compliance with human rights obligations could not be made without incurring disproportionate cost.

First Great Western: Electrification

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether funding for the electrification of the Great Western Line will be allocated during the Spending Review period;
	(2)  what timetable has been set for the completion of the electrification of the Great Western Line.

Theresa Villiers: We are currently considering revised proposals from Agility Trains for the Intercity Express Programme. An announcement on the electrification of the Great Western Main Line will be made in light of the Government's final decision on that programme.

Network Rail: Scotland

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the expenditure of Network Rail was in Scotland in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: In 2009-10, Network Rail's total expenditure in Scotland was £589 million.

Ports

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to increase the international economic competitiveness of domestic ports.

Michael Penning: UK ports have a strong record of operating competitively both domestically and internationally. Our policy is to enable ports to build on this success by avoiding the creation of any unnecessary burdens or impediments to fair competition.
	The Government's National Infrastructure Plan, published on 25 October, sets out the wider context for infrastructure to support economic investment and our international competitiveness.

Railways: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what rail improvements he plans to fund in  (a) Lancashire and  (b) the North West during the comprehensive spending review period.

Theresa Villiers: We are funding a range of rail improvements across Lancashire and the North West. These include:
	The routes between Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Blackpool will be electrified.
	Power supplies on the West Coast Main Line will be upgraded to support the running of more services.
	Some platforms will be lengthened where necessary to accommodate patronage growth.
	We are investing to improve line speeds on the Liverpool-Manchester-Leeds route.
	North West stations have been highlighted for improvement through the National Stations Improvement and Access For All programmes.
	In Manchester, we are providing funding for the extension of Metrolink. In addition to work under way, a further £170 million extension plan was announced in July.
	A further announcement on investment in rail will be made shortly.

Railways: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what rail electrification schemes in the North West his Department plans to fund during the Comprehensive Spending Review period;
	(2)  what timetable his Department has set for the completion of rail electrification work between Liverpool and Manchester.

Theresa Villiers: On 20 October, the Chancellor announced that electrification of the lines between Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Blackpool would go ahead. We are working with Network Rail to determine the timetable for the completion of these schemes, and will make an announcement in due course.

Road Safety: Finance

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department  (a) has allocated and  (b) plans to allocate to road safety in the financial year 2010-11; and how much was allocated in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Michael Penning: The UK has the safest roads in Europe and the Government wish to ensure that we maintain that position. However, the Government have made clear that their urgent priority is to tackle the UK's record deficit in order to restore confidence in our economy and support the recovery. As a contribution to the in-year spending reductions as part of our programme to address the record deficit, we have reduced the planned level of road safety grant in 2010-11. At the same time, local authorities were given greater freedom and flexibility in the management of their finances and the use of grant funding streams. Therefore, the fact that this grant has been reduced does not mean that the Government necessarily expect local authorities to reduce their road safety spending by a similar proportion. It is for local authorities and local communities to determine the priorities for their areas. The Department currently forecasts allocating £76.5 million towards dedicated road safety programmes and administration in 2010-11. It allocated £145.0 million in 2008/09 and £143.1 million in 2009-10 towards comparable activities.
	These totals include the road safety funding stream in area-based grant and the specific road safety grant. Other items included are expenditure on THINK! campaigns, road safety research and statistics, vehicle safety and related administration.
	These totals do not include expenditure by the Department's agencies, nor do they include funding support for other organisations used in part for, but not dedicated to, road safety (for example the integrated transport funding for local authorities and the block grant for Transport for London).

Thameslink

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  by what date he expects 24 trains an hour to be running on the Thameslink route between Kings Cross and Blackfriars;
	(2)  to which phases of the Thameslink programme his Department has not committed funding;
	(3)  by what date he expects the Thameslink infrastructure and rolling stock programme to have been completed;
	(4)  by what date he expects delivery of the last unit of 12-carriage Thameslink rolling stock to have been completed;
	(5)  what capital expenditure he plans to allocate to new Thameslink rolling stock from its proposed budgets under the 2010 Spending Review.

Theresa Villiers: As set out in the spending review on 20 October, the Government are still finalising their position regarding a number of rail projects, including Thameslink. An announcement is expected to be made shortly.

Thameslink: Rolling Stock

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable has been set for purchasing new rolling stock for the Thameslink upgrade.

Theresa Villiers: As set out in the spending review on the 20 October, the Government are still finalising their position regarding a number of rail projects, including Thameslink. An announcement will be made shortly.

Transport: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to invite bids for funding for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: We intend to invite bids to the Local Sustainable Transport Fund later in the year. The Department for Transport will at that stage publish guidance on the bidding process and set out an indicative timetable for the submission and assessment of bids.

EDUCATION

Academies

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons academies are not required to  (a) have regard to the local Children and Young People Plan,  (b) promote the well-being of pupils and  (c) promote community cohesion.

Nick Gibb: Academies are currently required to have regard to the Children and Young People's Plan (CYPP) in the same way as maintained schools. However, the Government intend-subject to parliamentary approval-to withdraw the regulations requiring CYPPs to be prepared.
	Academies have a very important role in promoting the well-being of their pupils and we trust the governors to exercise their functions with the aim of promoting their pupils' well-being, responding to local circumstances and the wishes of their parents.
	Finally, in relation to community cohesion, one of the conditions of grant in the model Funding Agreement is that the Academy will be
	"at the heart of its community, promoting community cohesion and sharing facilities with other schools and the wider community".
	Academies are therefore required to promote community cohesion as part of their Funding Agreement which includes the right of the Secretary of State to call for information on their outreach work with other schools and the local community.

Academies: Finance

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department has provided per pupil to schools with academy status in each local authority area in England in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 6 September 2010
	 The amount of funding per pupil paid to academies in each relevant local authority area for academic years from 2005/06 to 2009/10 is shown in the table. Since April 2010, payment has been made by the Young People's Learning Agency on behalf of the Secretary of State. It does not include start-up grants (since these would distort comparisons), nor standards fund grants, which for many academies in the years in question were paid by local authorities.
	
		
			  Local authority name order 
			  £ 
			Funding per pupil for academic year: 
			  LA name  Academy name  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09  2009/10 
			 Barnet London Academy 5,111 5,430 5,879 6,138 6,585 
			 Barnet Wren Academy - - - 11,086 7,974 
			 Barnsley The Barnsley Academy - 5,645 5,868 5,833 5,986 
			 Bexley Haberdashers' Aske's Crayford Academy - - - - 5,904 
			 Bexley Harris Academy Falconwood - - - 5,152 5,341 
			 Bexley The Business Academy Bexley 4,516 4,817 5,267 5,402 5,402 
			 Birmingham Heartlands Academy - - - - 6,978 
			 Birmingham North Birmingham Academy - - - - 6,834 
			 Birmingham Shenley Academy - - - - 7,020 
			 Birmingham St Alban's Academy - - - - 7,225 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Darwen Aldridge Community Academy - - - 6,204 6,067 
			 Bolton Essa Academy - - - 5,347 6,065 
			 Bolton St Catherine's Academy - - - - 5,728 
			 Bradford Appleton Academy - - - - 5,585 
			 Bradford Bradford Academy - - 5,995 6,007 6,054 
			 Bradford Dixon's Academy 4,819 5,125 5,318 5,503 5,692 
			 Bradford Dixons Allerton Academy - - - - 5,785 
			 Brent Ark Academy - - - 12,765 8,524 
			 Brent Capital City Academy 5,239 5,572 6,075 6,006 6,125 
			 Brent The Crest Boys' Academy - - - - 6,540 
			 Brent The Crest Girls' Academy - - - - 6,523 
			 Buckinghamshire The Aylesbury Vale Academy - - - - 5,111 
			 Central Bedfordshire All Saints Academy - - - - 6,193 
			 Cheshire West and Chester University of Chester Church of England Academy - - - - 5,776 
			 City of Bristol Bristol Cathedral School Academy - - - 5,416 5,527 
			 City of Bristol Bristol Metropolitan Academy - - - - 6,751 
			 City of Bristol Colston Girls' School - - - 5,120 5,304 
			 City of Bristol Merchants Academy Withywood - - - 5,578 5,603 
			 City of Bristol Oasis Academy Brightstowe - - - 7,017 6,845 
			 City of Bristol Oasis Academy Bristol - - - 6,646 6,294 
			 City of Bristol The Bristol Brunel Academy - - 5,452 5,389 5,455 
			 City of Bristol The City Academy Bristol 4,771 5,149 5,811 6,117 6,114 
			 Coventry Grace Academy Coventry - - - 6,115 5,887 
			 Croydon Harris Academy at South Norwood - - 5,889 5,636 6,082 
			 Croydon Harris Academy Purley - - - - 6,361 
			 Croydon Harris City Academy Crystal Palace - - 6,047 6,243 6,561 
			 Croydon Oasis Academy Coulsdon - - - 5,788 5,671 
			 Croydon Oasis Academy Shirley Park - - - - 5,749 
			 Cumbria Furness Academy - - - - 5,574 
			 Cumbria Richard Rose Central Academy - - - 5,272 5,199 
			 Cumbria Richard Rose Morton Academy - - - 4,831 4,600 
			 Cumbria West Lakes Academy - - - 5,075 5,133 
			 Darlington St Aidan's CE Academy - - 5,697 6,117 6,534 
			 Derby City Landau Forte Academy - 5,342 5,577 5,707 5,925 
			 Doncaster De Warenne Academy - - - - 6,057 
			 Doncaster Outwood Academy Adwick - - - - 5,321 
			 Doncaster Trinity Academy 4,398 4,597 5,034 5,323 5,452 
			 Ealing West London Academy 5,081 5,334 5,686 5,780 6,091 
			 Enfield Oasis Academy Enfield - - 7,284 6,793 6,329 
			 Enfield Oasis Academy Hadley - - - - 6,674 
			 Essex Clacton Coastal Academy - - - - 6,043 
			 Essex Greensward Academy - - - 4,730 4,948 
			 Essex Maltings Academy - - - 5,005 5,191 
			 Essex New Rickstones Academy - - - 4,918 5,266 
			 Essex The Basildon Lower Academy - - - - 5,603 
			 Essex The Basildon Upper Academy - - - - 6,144 
			 Greenwich St Paul's Academy 5,052 5,122 5,251 5,696 5,929 
			 Hackney Mossbourne Community Academy 6,166 6,311 6,541 7,667 7,503 
			 Hackney The Bridge Academy - - 8,125 8,625 7,946 
			 Hackney The City Academy Hackney(1) - - - - 10,182 
			 Hackney The Petchey Academy - 7,751 7,187 7,807 7,584 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham Burlington Danes Academy - 5,885 6,176 6,641 6,971 
			 Haringey Greig City Academy 5,476 6,097 6,477 6,582 6,548 
			 Herefordshire The Hereford Academy - - - 5,029 4,946 
			 Herefordshire The Steiner Academy Hereford - - - 4,251 4,313 
			 Hertfordshire Francis Combe Academy - - - - 5,569 
			 Hertfordshire The Bushey Academy - - - - 6,660 
			 Hillingdon Stockley Academy 5,134 5,579 5,791 5,795 6,100 
			 Hillingdon The Harefield Academy 5,275 5,413 5,590 5,950 6,171 
			 Islington City of London Academy Islington - - - 7,374 7,038 
			 Islington St Mary Magdalene Academy - - 7,410 7,416 7,010 
			 Kensington and Chelsea The Chelsea Science Academy(1) - - - - 9,926 
			 Kent Cornwallis Academy - - 4,714 4,690 4,931 
			 Kent Folkestone Academy - - 5,836 5,612 5,367 
			 Kent Longfield Academy - - - 5,898 5,819 
			 Kent Marsh Academy - - 4,875 5,012 5,292 
			 Kent New Line Learning Academy - - 5,610 5,599 6,338 
			 Kent Skinners Kent Academy - - - - 7,261 
			 Kent Spires Academy - - 6,438 6,043 6,205 
			 Kent The Isle of Sheppey Academy - - - - 5,413 
			 Kent The Leigh Technology Academy - - 5,615 5,719 6,046 
			 Kent The Marlowe Academy 5,604 5,467 6,527 6,447 6,936 
			 Kingston Upon Hull Archbishop Sentamu Academy - - - 5,478 5,572 
			 Kingston Upon Hull Sirius Academy - - - - 5,591 
			 Lambeth Evelyn Grace Academy - - - 8,940 8,253 
			 Lambeth Lambeth Academy 4,921 6,430 6,676 6,895 7,348 
			 Lancashire Accrington Academy - - - 5,108 5,155 
			 Lancashire Fulwood Academy - - - - 5,194 
			 Leeds David Young Community Academy - 5,182 5,501 5,963 6,222 
			 Leeds Leeds West Academy - - - - 5,783 
			 Leeds South Leeds Academy - - - - 6,590 
			 Leicester City Samworth Enterprise Academy - - 4,862 5,825 6,393 
			 Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Academy 5,279 5,490 6,059 6,081 6,423 
			 Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy 5,662 5,857 6,689 6,330 6,596 
			 Lewisham St Matthew Academy - - 6,322 6,302 6,410 
			 Lincolnshire St George's Academy - - - - 4,886 
			 Lincolnshire The Priory City of Lincoln Academy - - - 5,086 5,137 
			 Lincolnshire The Priory LSST Academy - - - 4,766 4,887 
			 Lincolnshire The Priory Witham Academy - - - 5,322 5,378 
			 Lincolnshire Trent Valley Academy - - - 5,277 5,092 
			 Liverpool Academy of St Francis of Assisi 5,022 5,253 5,431 5,619 5,847 
			 Liverpool North Liverpool Academy - 5,395 5,384 5,540 5,592 
			 Liverpool The Belvedere Academy - - 5,500 5,460 5,804 
			 Luton Barnfield South Academy - - 5,209 5,551 5,858 
			 Luton Barnfield West Academy - - 5,277 5,494 5,738 
			 Manchester Manchester Academy 3,550 4,671 5,779 5,809 5,824 
			 Manchester Manchester Creative and Media Academy (Boys) - - - - 6,712 
			 Manchester Manchester Creative and Media Academy (Girls) - - - - 6,129 
			 Manchester Manchester Enterprise Academy - - - - 7,280 
			 Manchester The Manchester Health Academy - - - - 9,328 
			 Manchester William Hulme Grammar School - - 4,639 5,151 5,400 
			 Medway Strood Academy - - - - 5,304 
			 Merton Harris Academy Merton - 5,365 5,531 5,785 5,771 
			 Merton St Mark's Church of England Academy - 5,261 5,482 5,811 5,898 
			 Middlesbrough Macmillan Academy 4,816 5,019 5,385 5,603 6,077 
			 Middlesbrough The King's Academy 4,656 5,260 6,242 6,388 6,743 
			 Middlesbrough Unity Academy 5,221 5,789 6,283 7,372 7,122 
			 Milton Keynes Milton Keynes Academy - - - - 5,920 
			 N E Lincolnshire Havelock Academy - - 5,219 5,367 5,461 
			 N E Lincolnshire Oasis Academy Immingham - - 5,139 5,355 5,539 
			 N E Lincolnshire Oasis Academy Wintringham - - 5,417 5,464 5,631 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne Excelsior Academy - - - 5,730 6,254 
			 Norfolk City Academy Norwich - - - - 6,843 
			 Norfolk The Open Academy - - - 5,889 5,416 
			 North Lincolnshire St Lawrence Academy - - - 4,940 4,909 
			 Northamptonshire Brooke Weston Academy - - - 6,163 6,260 
			 Northamptonshire Corby Business Academy - - - 6,315 6,149 
			 Northamptonshire Kettering Buccleuch Academy - - - - 4,974 
			 Northamptonshire Kettering Science Academy - - - - 4,924 
			 Northamptonshire Northampton Academy 4,345 4,468 4,730 4,914 5,155 
			 Northumberland Bede Academy - - - - 4,225 
			 Northumberland Northumberland CE Academy - - - - 5,293 
			 Nottingham City Djanogly City Academy 5,051 5,189 5,641 5,864 6,174 
			 Nottingham City Nottingham Academy - - - - 5,572 
			 Nottingham City Nottingham University Samworth Academy - - - - 6,499 
			 Nottingham City The Bulwell Academy - - - - 6,140 
			 Nottinghamshire Samworth Church Academy - - - 5,546 5,480 
			 Oxfordshire North Oxfordshire Academy - - 5,795 5,637 5,642 
			 Oxfordshire The Oxford Academy - - - 6,551 6,635 
			 Peterborough Ormiston Bushfield Academy - - - - 6,116 
			 Peterborough Thomas Deacon Academy - - 4,659 4,954 5,439 
			 Portsmouth Charter Academy - - - - 8,236 
			 Reading John Madejski Academy - 5,621 5,663 5,766 6,317 
			 Rochdale St Anne's Academy - - 6,021 5,626 5,907 
			 Rotherham Maltby Academy - - - - 5,291 
			 Salford Oasis Academy Media City: UK Salford - - - 5,729 5,717 
			 Salford Salford Academy 5,187 4,939 6,095 6,435 6,594 
			 Sandwell George Salter Collegiate Academy - - 5,668 5,668 5,763 
			 Sandwell Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy - - - - 5,747 
			 Sandwell Q3 Academy - - - 5,235 4,923 
			 Sandwell RSA Academy at Tipton - - - 5,667 5,435 
			 Sandwell Sandwell Academy - 6,307 5,949 5,498 5,543 
			 Sandwell Shireland Collegiate Academy - - 6,264 6,284 6,000 
			 Sheffield Parkwood Academy - - - - 6,271 
			 Sheffield Sheffield Park Academy - 4,804 4,928 5,334 5,540 
			 Sheffield Sheffield Springs Academy - 4,846 4,946 5,143 5,281 
			 Slough Langley Academy - - - 6,652 6,168 
			 Solihull Grace Academy Solihull - 4,549 4,816 5,201 5,243 
			 Solihull Kingshurst Academy - - - 6,193 6,140 
			 Solihull Park Hall Academy - - - - 5,185 
			 South Gloucestershire John Cabot Academy - - 6,008 6,066 6,069 
			 South Gloucestershire The Ridings' Federation Winterbourne International Academy - - - - 4,913 
			 South Gloucestershire The Ridings' Federation Yate International Academy - - - - 5,492 
			 Southampton Oasis Academy Lords Hill - - - 6,028 6,187 
			 Southampton Oasis Academy Mayfield - - - 5,674 5,827 
			 Southwark Bacon's College - - 7,431 8,170 8,249 
			 Southwark City of London Academy 6,370 6,391 6,215 7,087 7,773 
			 Southwark Harris Academy at Peckham 6,257 6,761 6,710 7,672 7,861 
			 Southwark Harris Academy Bermondsey - 6,351 6,617 7,470 8,158 
			 Southwark Harris Boys' Academy East Dulwich(1) - - - - 11,781 
			 Southwark Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich - 6,300 6,339 7,174 7,784 
			 Southwark St Michael and All Angels Church of England Academy - - 6,620 7,115 7,358 
			 Southwark The Globe Academy - - - 7,026 7,257 
			 Southwark Walworth Academy - - 6,326 7,798 8,067 
			 Stockport Stockport Academy - - 5,073 5,358 5,748 
			 Sunderland Academy 360 - - - 5,571 5,346 
			 Sunderland Castle View Enterprise Academy - - - - 5,649 
			 Sunderland Red House Academy - - - - 6,192 
			 Swindon Swindon Academy - - 4,933 4,821 5,080 
			 Tameside Droylsden Academy - - - - 5,573 
			 Tameside New Charter Academy - - - 4,941 5,265 
			 Telford and Wrekin Abraham Darby Academy - - - 5,463 5,382 
			 Telford and Wrekin Madeley Academy - 4,929 5,058 5,079 5,141 
			 Thurrock Ormiston Park Academy - - - - 6,780 
			 Thurrock The Gateway Academy - 5,720 5,651 5,834 5,804 
			 Wakefield Outwood Grange Academy - - - - 5,310 
			 Walsall Grace Academy Darlaston - - - - 5,427 
			 Walsall Shelfield Community Academy - - - 4,775 5,216 
			 Walsall Walsall Academy 4,530 4,662 4,697 4,991 5,308 
			 Waltham Forest Walthamstow Academy - 5,362 5,782 6,015 6,080 
			 Wandsworth Ashcroft Technology Academy - - 7,423 7,442 7,837 
			 West Sussex Shoreham Academy - - - - 5,057 
			 West Sussex The Littlehampton Academy - - - - 5,165 
			 West Sussex The Midhurst Rother College - - - 4,958 5,315 
			 West Sussex The Sir Robert Woodard Academy - - - - 5,234 
			 Westminster King Solomon Academy - - 6,530 6,737 8,276 
			 Westminster Paddington Academy - 6,294 7,133 7,282 7,732 
			 Westminster Pimlico Academy - - - 6,839 8,252 
			 Westminster Westminster Academy - 6,097 6,860 6,593 8,533 
			 Wiltshire Wellington Academy - - - - 5,506 
			 Wirral Birkenhead High School Academy - - - - 4,870 
			 Wolverhampton South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy - - - - 7,600 
			 Worcestershire Tudor Grange Academy - - - - 5,543 
			 (1 )The high funding per pupil for City Academy Hackney, Chelsea Science Academy and Harris Boys Academy Southwark in 2009/10 is due to their opening with only Year 7 pupils.

Academies: Finance

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements exist for academy schools to borrow against future income for the purposes of  (a) expansion,  (b) investment in facilities,  (c) urgent repairs and  (d) any other purpose; and whether these have changed since 12 May 2010.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 16 September 2010
	The ability of an academy to borrow for any purpose is defined by its individual funding agreement. The current model funding agreement provides that an academy may not borrow against funds or other assets provided by the Secretary of State without his permission, and that such permission will be given only in limited circumstances. This has not changed since 12 May 2010.
	Such permission has been given for the transfer to academy trusts of existing loans made by local authorities to some "outstanding" maintained schools which have converted under the Academies Act 2010.

Academies: Greater London

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding was received from all Government sources by  (a) the Harris Academy at Peckham,  (b) the Harris Girls' Academy, East Dulwich,  (c) the Harris Boys' Academy, East Dulwich,  (d) the Walworth Academy and  (e) St Michael and All Angels Academy in each financial year since they became academies.

Nick Gibb: Payments made to these academies for capital and revenue purposes up to and including 2009-10 are shown in the following table. The payments include those made for feasibility and implementation purposes prior to opening. The capital payments for Walworth and St Michael and All Angels academies include payments made through Partnerships for Schools (PfS) to the local authority for the construction of the academies.
	
		
			  Financial year  Capital  Revenue 
			  Harris Academy at Peckham-opened 2003   
			 2001-02 59,520 161,509 
			 2002-03 825,964 556,439 
			 2003-04 5,555,817 4,315,483 
			 2004-05 15,772,972 6,846,809 
			 2005-06 4,744,944 7,352,432 
			 2006-07 860,322 8,330,194 
			 2007-08 - 8,647,116 
			 2008-09 - 9,836,759 
			 2009-10 - 10,723,994 
			 Total 27,819,539 56,770,735 
			
			  Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich-opened 2006   
			 2001-02 - - 
			 2002-03 - - 
			 2003-04 - - 
			 2004-05 - - 
			 2005-06 - 55,019 
			 2006-07 431,107 5,040,419 
			 2007-08 507,262 5,969,627 
			 2008-09 401,337 6,356,083 
			 2009-10 2,634,040 6,868,238 
			 Total 3,974,746 24,289,385 
			
			  Harris Boys' Academy East Dulwich-opened 2009   
			 2001-02 - - 
			 2002-03 - - 
			 2003-04 - - 
			 2004-05 - - 
			 2005-06 - 55,019 
			 2006-07 424,553 415,112 
			 2007-08 647,483 188,249 
			 2008-09 2,707,653 189,181 
			 2009-10 14,178,336 2,800,555 
			 Total 17,958,025 3,648,114 
			
			  Walworth Academy-opened 2007   
			 2001-02 - - 
			 2002-03 - - 
			 2003-04 - - 
			 2004-05 - - 
			 2005-06 - - 
			 2006-07 - 58,365 
			 2007-08 - 5,752,729 
			 2008-09 284,088 7,854,710 
			 2009-10 - 7,842,458 
			 Total 284,088 21,508,262 
			
			  St Michael and All Angels Academy-opened 2007   
			 2001-02 - - 
			 2002-03 - - 
			 2003-04 - - 
			 2004-05 - - 
			 2005-06 - - 
			 2006-07 - 351,186 
			 2007-08 136,935 5,149,335 
			 2008-09 177,427 7,294,857 
			 2009-10 - 7,152,254 
			 Total 314,363 19,947,632

Building Schools for the Future Programme

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which local authorities he has met to discuss the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Nick Gibb: On 5 July the Secretary of State announced a review of all areas of DfE capital spending. Its purpose is to ensure that future capital investment represents good value for money and strongly supports the Government's ambitions to reduce the deficit, raise standards and tackle disadvantage. While he announced that the Building Schools for the Future programme is ending, this does not mean the end of capital investment by this Department.
	To date the Secretary of State has had meetings with Coventry, Bedford borough, Brent and Sandwell local authorities to discuss the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Departmental Responsibilities

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the remit is of the Children's Rights and Participation team in the Health and Well-being Division of his Department; and how many staff were employed in that division in the last 12 months.

Sarah Teather: The Children's Rights and Participation team currently consist of three full-time and one part-time staff. Its current remit is to promote and support the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in England through Government policy, and to coordinate UK-wide reports on progress to the UN Committee. It oversees activity to support the involvement of children and young people in decision-making centrally and locally, and is the policy sponsor for the Office of the Children's Commissioner for England.

Free Schools

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of the 16 schools that have been accepted for free school status previously had grant-maintained status.

Nick Gibb: 16 proposals for free schools have been approved for progression to the business case and plan stage. Of these, none are schools that previously had grant-maintained status.

Members: Correspondence

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for St Albans of 21 June 2010, on the Abbey View Nursery.

Sarah Teather: A response has been sent to the hon. Member's letter on 28 October 2010.

Schools: Buildings

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps have been taken to implement the proposals announced in the written ministerial statement of 16 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 41-2WS, on auditory standards for school buildings; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: In April this year, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Communities and Local Government jointly wrote to every Building Control Body in England and Wales, reminding them of the importance of Requirement E4 of the Building Regulations 2000 which covers acoustic standards in schools. The letter advised Building Control Bodies to ask to see the results of any acoustic testing that has been carried out to assess compliance with Requirement E4.
	Exeter University Energy and Environment Centre were appointed in December 2009 to evaluate the acoustic environment of six schools and the results of this work will inform any future guidance on acoustics.
	An acoustic consultant has been appointed to work on the Space for Personalised Learning pilot projects. Findings will be published on the Spaces for Personalised Learning website:
	http://www.space4pl.org/
	The Secretary of State for Education launched a review of all schools capital investment on 5 July. The review will look at reform of the requirements on schools including the School Premises Regulations and design requirements. Decisions about future guidance and standards for school buildings are subject to the outcome of this review.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools were  (a) rebuilt and  (b) refurbished between 1997 and May 2010.

Nick Gibb: Information provided by local authorities in England in the 2007 and 2009 School Building Surveys indicate that since 1997-98 there were:
	2,164-new or replacement schools
	844-school refurbishments of more than 80% of the floor area
	2,004-school refurbishments of between 50 to 80% of the floor area.
	These figures include projects that were planned to be completed by 21 August 2011. Information is not readily available on school refurbishments of less than 50% of the floor area and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. It should be noted that detailed checks on the quality and completeness of the information provided by local authorities in the surveys have not been carried out.

Special Educational Needs

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take in response to the recommendations of Ofsted's report on special educational needs. [R]

Sarah Teather: holding answer 25 October 2010
	The Government aim to publish a Green Paper on special educational needs and disability later this year. Ofsted's report and the issues that it highlights will be taken into consideration as the Department develops the Green Paper.

Special Educational Needs

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the statementing process for children with special educational needs. [R]

Sarah Teather: holding answer 25 October 2010
	The Government have made it clear that they want to make the special educational needs system, including the statementing process, less adversarial and bureaucratic and for it to provide a more comprehensive service for families. A Green Paper on special educational needs and disability, which we aim to publish later this year, will set out the Government's vision for the future of special educational needs.

Teachers Pensions

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has made a recent estimate of the proportion of pensioners in receipt of a pension from the Teachers' Pension Scheme of more than £50,000 who worked in a school not funded wholly or in part from the public purse immediately before retirement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 21 October 2010
	There are currently 91 pensioners whose employment immediately prior to their retirement was in an independent school and who are in receipt of a pension in excess of £50,000 a year from the Teachers' Pension Scheme.

Teachers Pensions

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools not in receipt of funding from his Department have members who make contributions to the Teachers' Pension Scheme.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 21 October 2010
	Membership of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) is automatically available to teachers in maintained schools, FE establishments, post-1992 universities, free schools and academies. Independent schools can apply for admission to the TPS in respect of their teaching staff. Currently 1,488 independent schools have teachers who are members of the TPS.

Teachers: Armed Forces

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many former service personnel have  (a) applied for and  (b) been enrolled in the Troops for Teachers programme since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Troops to Teachers programme is currently being developed in line with the coalition document's commitment, and we are currently looking at ways in which a wide range of former service personnel can become involved in teaching and with schools. We hope to launch the programme next year.
	In the interim, ex-service personnel interested in becoming teachers will continue to be supported by the Transition to Teaching programme and may follow any of the available routes into teaching.

Teachers: Qualifications

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's guidance to schools regarding the use of unqualified teaching staff covering teacher absences; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Head teachers are responsible for deploying and managing teaching and support staff of the school and allocating particular duties to them in a manner consistent with their conditions of employment and the needs of the school. The Training and Development Agency for schools has issued a range of guidance to schools on best practice in employing and deploying teaching assistance. This can be found at:
	http://www.tda.gov.uk/remodelling.aspx

Teachers: Science and Mathematics

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to increase the number of science and mathematics graduates entering the teaching profession.

Nick Gibb: The Government accept that there is a continuing need to increase the number of teachers in these subjects and it is our intention to attract more top science and mathematics graduates into the profession in England. We are therefore reviewing the routes into teaching and the incentives offered to well qualified people who want to teach science and mathematics. We have already announced plans to double the number of participants in the successful Teach First scheme so that more schools may benefit from the talents of some of the country's best graduates. Three quarters of Teach First participants teach the most demanding shortage subjects, including mathematics and science.

Young People: Liverpool

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to support partnership working to raise the attainment of young people in Liverpool Wavertree constituency.

Nick Gibb: A key principle of this Government is to trust professionals and empower head teachers and their leadership teams to make decisions about the future direction of their schools. We also believe that a local approach is needed to develop partnerships and leadership to meet the needs of all children and young people in the area.
	Our immediate priority has been to introduce legislation to allow all maintained schools to benefit from the freedoms and flexibilities of Academy status, as part of a permissive and mixed economy of school provision. The Academies Act 2010 allows more schools to benefit from Academy freedoms to help them innovate and raise standards.
	We expect any outstanding schools that convert to Academy status to work in partnership to support other schools, with a direct focus on school improvement and the raising of standards.
	A 14-19 Partnership is already in existence in Liverpool to help raise the attainment of young people in the area, including those in Liverpool Wavertree. This partnership is well placed to ensure a coherent strategy to meet local needs.

JUSTICE

Coroners and Justice Act 2009

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to implement the provisions of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

Jonathan Djanogly: In my written statement of 14 October 2010, columns 37-38WS, I set out that I would commence provisions in Part 1 (Coroners) of the Act which would enable operational problems facing coroners to be tackled. This will include making it simpler to transfer cases from one coroner to another, and removing rigid boundary restrictions on where post-mortem examinations may be carried out. The aim is to implement these provisions by April 2012 at the latest. I also set out that provisions requiring the appointment of a chief coroner would either not be implemented or that certain key functions may be transferred to another body. These key functions might include oversight of training for coroners and their staff, and direction that responsibility for a case is transferred either to a judge or to another coroner. The timescale for this transfer of functions will depend on parliamentary progress of both the Public Bodies Bill, under which the office of chief coroner will be abolished, and the subsequent affirmative order which will set out to which body or bodies the chief coroner's powers are to be transferred. It is likely therefore that it will take longer than April 2012 to implement these provisions.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders issued with a  (a) Drug Treatment and Testing Order and  (b) Drug Rehabilitation Requirement in each of the last three years completed that order, having complied with its terms.

Crispin Blunt: 43% of DTTOs and DRRs which terminated in 2007-08 were completed successfully. In 2008-09 the rate was 47%. Outturns for 2009-10 will be published in the coming weeks.

Homicide

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in England and Wales were convicted of murder between  (a) 1980 and 1984,  (b) 1985 and 1994 and  (c) 1995 and 2005.

Crispin Blunt: Persons found guilty at all courts for murder in England and Wales from 1980 to 2005 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Defendants found guilty at all courts for murder( 1) , England and Wales, 1980 to 2005( 2,3) 
			   Found guilty 
			 1980 169 
			 1981 126 
			 1982 184 
			 1983 132 
			 1984 156 
			 1980-84 767 
			   
			 1985 173 
			 1986 179 
			 1987 166 
			 1988 231 
			 1989 189 
			 1990 180 
			 1991 201 
			 1992 182 
			 1993 211 
			 1994 192 
			 1985-94 1,904 
			   
			 1995 214 
			 1996 257 
			 1997 275 
			 1998 256 
			 1999 252 
			 2000 261 
			 2001 285 
			 2002 324 
			 2003 277 
			 2004 361 
			 2005 394 
			 1995-2005 3,156 
			 (1) Includes offences under Common Law and Offences Against the Person Act 1861, Sections 1, 9 and 10.  (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services within the Ministry of Justice.

Judges: Public Appointments

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mechanisms are in place to ensure transparency in respect of judicial appointments; what lists are maintained of judicial candidates; what steps are taken to inform applicants of their position on those lists; and on what criteria applications for judicial posts are determined.

Kenneth Clarke: Recommendations for judicial appointments are made to me (as Lord Chancellor) by the independent Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) for England and Wales. The JAC selects candidates for judicial office on merit, through fair and open competition, from the widest range of eligible candidates. The JAC selects candidates either for immediate appointment, or when requested to do so by the Ministry of Justice under section 94 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (CRA), for future vacancies. All selection exercises are publicly advertised.
	The JAC maintains a database of candidate applications. These are used for the administration of the selection process, quality assurance and statistical and research purposes. If the JAC receives a request under section 94 of the CRA to select candidates for future vacancies, it maintains a record of such candidates.
	No steps are taken to inform applicants of their position. Where candidates are considered for a vacancy request made under section 94 of the CRA they are informed if they are considered to be selectable. When a specific vacancy arises the JAC considers those people who were previously considered suitable for appointment and makes a recommendation on merit.
	Most judicial posts require that a candidate has a statutory qualification to be eligible to apply. The JAC selects candidates solely on merit and only people of good character and assesses merit against a set of qualities and abilities, available on their website at:
	http://www.judicialappointments.gov.uk/application-process/112.htm

Legal Aid: Mental Health

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effects on the operation of Mental Health Act Tribunals of implementation of proposed changes to his Department's budget for legal aid for 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Following the recent tender for new contracts to be introduced on 15 November, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) will be allocating approximately 1,500 more new matter starts (the phrase the LSC to describe new cases started) in mental health in the 2010-11 contract year than were allocated in 2009-10. The mental health contract tenders were carried out on a non-competitive basis, and the number of applicants who have been provisionally offered a contract closely matches the number of existing providers. The LSC is confident that the overall provision of mental health services will remain good.
	On 23 June 2010 the Justice Secretary announced, via written ministerial statement, that the Government are undertaking a fundamental policy assessment of legal aid in England and Wales. The Government intend to seek views on proposals later this autumn. Impact assessments will be published in the usual way.

Magistrates Courts: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many criminal cases at  (a) Worksop and  (b) Retford magistrates court involved defendants living in post code areas  (a) DN22,  (b) DN10,  (c) DN1 and  (d) S81 in 2009.

Jonathan Djanogly: In 2009 there were 4,800 criminal proceedings completed at magistrates courts in the Worksop and Retford local justice area (LJA). Worksop and Retford are the only two magistrates courts in this LJA; however, centrally collected information does not allow the separate identification of those proceedings completed at Worksop and Retford magistrates courts specifically.
	Information on the addresses of defendants in magistrates court cases began being recorded on central administrative systems in 2009. Officials are currently analysing the quality and completeness of the information held and I will write to the hon. Member in due course with the results of this investigation.

Offenders: Incentives and Earned Privilege Scheme

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many offenders in each prison establishment were subject to loss of privileges under the PSO 4000 Incentives and Earned Privilege Scheme following adjudication in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many offenders in each prison establishment were adjudged guilty at adjudication of breach of prison discipline in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) records the total number of findings of guilt against prisoners at internal disciplinary hearings (adjudications) where punishments of forfeiture of privileges were imposed. Figures are not held centrally by individual establishment. In 2009 (the latest figures available) this punishment was imposed on 84,735 occasions. Some prisoners may have been punished more than once.
	In some cases a disciplinary offence, or a pattern of misbehaviour by a prisoner, will lead to a review of the prisoner's privilege level, but this is an administrative procedure separate from adjudications.
	The total number of proven disciplinary offences in 2009 was 104,745. NOMS does not have data for how many offenders committed these offences each month.
	Data on disciplinary offences and punishments in prisons are available in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2009, on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/prisonandprobation.htm

Offenders: Incentives and Earned Privilege Scheme

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders in each prison establishment were on the basic level of the Incentives and Earned Privilege Scheme  (a) on the last date for which details are available and  (b) 12 months previously.

Crispin Blunt: The latest figures that are available for prisoners on the basic level of the Incentives and Earned Privileges Scheme are for the end of September 2010, and are as follows:
	
		
			  Prison  September 2010  September 2009 
			 Acklington 7 3 
			 Albany 5 1 
			 Altcourse 49 60 
			 Ashfield 55 53 
			 Ashwell 0 0 
			 Askham Grange 0 0 
			 Aylesbury 19 8 
			 Bedford 6 3 
			 Belmarsh 22 14 
			 Birmingham 4 9 
			 Blantyre House 0 0 
			 Blundeston 3 7 
			 Brinsford 9 9 
			 Bristol 7 10 
			 Brixton 7 8 
			 Bronzefield 4 3 
			 Buckley Hall 7 2 
			 Bullingdon 15 7 
			 Bullwood Hall 0 0 
			 Bure 4 n/a 
			 Camp Hill 7 3 
			 Canterbury 1 3 
			 Cardiff 6 9 
			 Castington 0 8 
			 Channings Wood 6 6 
			 Chelmsford 21 16 
			 Coldingley 4 1 
			 Cookham Wood 18 12 
			 Dartmoor 2 14 
			 Deerbolt 12 4 
			 Doncaster 23 11 
			 Dorchester 1 2 
			 Dovegate 8 6 
			 Downview 2 1 
			 Drake Hall 3 0 
			 Durham 8 1 
			 East Sutton Park 0 0 
			 Eastwood Park 4 7 
			 Edmunds Hill 6 3 
			 Elmley 15 16 
			 Erlestoke 2 2 
			 Everthorpe 15 7 
			 Exeter 9 5 
			 Featherstone 12 10 
			 Feltham 35 12 
			 Ford 0 0 
			 Forest Bank 29 33 
			 Foston Hall 7 2 
			 Frankland 33 19 
			 Full Sutton 10 9 
			 Garth 7 4 
			 Gartree 4 5 
			 Glen Parva 42 38 
			 Gloucester 2 0 
			 Grendon 0 0 
			 Guys Marsh 5 11 
			 Haverigg 20 11 
			 Hewell 6 9 
			 High Down 11 11 
			 Highpoint 22 18 
			 Hindley 20 28 
			 Hollesley Bay 2 1 
			 Holloway 5 6 
			 Holme House 6 6 
			 Hull 25 8 
			 Kennet 3 2 
			 Kingston 0 2 
			 Kirkham 0 1 
			 Kirklevington 0 0 
			 Lancaster 1 1 
			 Lancaster Farms 14 8 
			 Latchmere House 0 0 
			 Leeds 3 7 
			 Leicester 10 3 
			 Lewes 3 11 
			 Leyhill 0 0 
			 Lincoln 7 8 
			 Lindholme 14 9 
			 Littlehey 16 1 
			 Liverpool 8 11 
			 Long Lartin 7 4 
			 Low Newton 5 3 
			 Lowdham Grange 15 20 
			 Maidstone 0 0 
			 Manchester 14 30 
			 Moorland-Closed 14 (1)25 
			 Moorland-Open 0 - 
			 Morton Hall 1 1 
			 Mount 14 14 
			 New Hall 18 14 
			 North Sea Camp 2 0 
			 Northallerton 6 4 
			 Norwich 14 8 
			 Nottingham 17 14 
			 Onley 20 16 
			 Parc 20 20 
			 Parkhurst 13 9 
			 Pentonville 23 10 
			 Peterborough - Female 5 0 
			 Peterborough - Male 37 33 
			 Portland 12 17 
			 Preston 13 4 
			 Ranby 13 27 
			 Reading 0 3 
			 Risley 30 23 
			 Rochester 17 15 
			 Rye Hill 8 11 
			 Send 3 0 
			 Shepton Mallet 0 0 
			 Shrewsbury 1 4 
			 Stafford 3 2 
			 Standford Hill 1 0 
			 Stocken 15 5 
			 Stoke Heath 27 35 
			 Styal 5 5 
			 Sudbury 3 1 
			 Swaleside 26 16 
			 Swansea 3 2 
			 Swinfen Hall 14 26 
			 Thorn Cross 7 6 
			 Usk/Prescoed 0 0 
			 Verne 10 7 
			 Wakefield 21 9 
			 Wandsworth 16 12 
			 Warren Hill 19 14 
			 Wayland 19 8 
			 Wealstun 6 6 
			 Wellingborough 7 1 
			 Werrington 16 10 
			 Wetherby 12 12 
			 Wharton 3 2 
			 Whitemoor 3 5 
			 Winchester 5 0 
			 Wolds 1 2 
			 Woodhill 17 6 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 3 3 
			 Wymott 4 3 
			 Total 1,386 1,166 
			 (1) Joint total for both open and closed sites

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on the payment by results policy for the rehabilitation of offenders.

Crispin Blunt: The Government are committed to introducing payment by results as part of a new approach to offender rehabilitation. We plan to commission providers to work with offenders to reduce reoffending, paid for by the subsequent savings generated in the criminal justice system.
	Officials in the Ministry of Justice are developing proposals for the introduction of payment by results approaches. The outcome of this work will be published for consultation in the forthcoming Green Paper on offender rehabilitation.

Offenders: Women

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the needs of women offenders.

Crispin Blunt: I have recently had discussions with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for equalities on the needs of women offenders. The Government are committed to diverting women away from crime and tackling women's offending. We are taking forward an approach to provide effective alternatives to remands for the courts with new women's enhanced bail provision and effective community sentences using the expertise of voluntary sector through women's community projects. The aim is to meet the distinct and complex needs of women which are linked to their offending.

Prisoners: Sentencing

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what training is available to prisoners serving sentences of one year or less.

Crispin Blunt: Prisoner learning and skills is provided by a range of further education colleges and organisations under contract to the Skills Funding Agency through the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS). OLASS includes career information and advice services which assesses prisoners initial learning needs to assist their employment aspirations.
	The Qualifications and Credits Framework (QCF) is currently being rolled out across the prison estate and is in line with mainstream education provision. This provides prisoners with flexible routes to gaining full qualifications and enables progression in small steps through the accumulation of credits, one credit being equal to a notional 10 hours of study.
	This mode of study is most appropriate for prisoners serving sentences of one year or less who can continue and complete their training in the community. Training opportunities will vary depending on the curriculum on offer in different prisons. Prisoner learning and skills is being reviewed.

Prisons: Reform

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on his plans to reform prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The Government believe that prison is the right place for the most serious, dangerous and persistent offenders. We will always provide enough prison places for those whom the courts judge should receive a custodial sentence. But we are committed to a new approach to rehabilitation, involving voluntary and private sector partners alongside prison and probation resources. We will publish a Green Paper later this year, setting out our plans to reform sentencing and rehabilitation policy, and we will review our prison capacity strategy in the light of responses to our proposals.

Reoffenders

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent factors he has identified as contributing to a reduction in re-offending rates.

Crispin Blunt: This Government are committed to improving rehabilitation outcomes from those leaving prisons or on community sentences. The Ministry of Justice is releasing a compendium of reoffending statistics on 4 November 2010. This covers a wide range of subjects including factors which influence reoffending.
	As part of overhauling the system of rehabilitation to reduce reoffending we are also looking at the sentencing frameworks for adult and young offenders, and the range of penalties available in the criminal justice system. We will take time to get it right and will consult widely before bringing forward specific plans for reform. Our forthcoming Sentencing and Rehabilitation Green Paper will set out our plans in more detail.